LoZ White Knights of Althor
by GieGie
Summary: Three months following Ganondorf's fall, Hyrule is on the road to complete restoration, and within this process, relations are opened with the neighboring Kingdom of Althor. More information in the Prologue chapter. Adult Content - R&R and Enjoy!
1. Prologue

_**The Legend of Zelda**_

_**White Knights of Althor**_

_A/N: Hello again! Many have asked for it, so I've started work finally. This is a sequel to The Legacy of Myriad, and so I suggest, if you haven't read that story, you give it a gander, otherwise none of this story will really make much sense to you._

_To be honest, chapter one may not be up for a while. The direction of this story is still coming to me slowly but surely, and I'm likely not to write it as quickly without a proper map in my mind to direct the actions of the characters in this fiction as I did the first one. Just thought I'd let some of you know who might have gotten used to me updating every other day with the last story xD! But I wanted to get this prologue up a slight bit prematurely so that everyone could see that, yeah, I'm going for it! Yay! I hope anyway lol xD!_

_The story this time around is going to focus more on romantic interests with adventure being secondary to the plot line, but like the first story, I do intend for there to be a good few twists that will hopefully take people by surprise. One thing I think I can say I won't miss is doing the Temples LoL! Those were always a pain to do xD!_

_In the meantime, basic copyright info, The Legend of Zelda belongs to Nintendo and so do all of the canonical characters. But I take credit for the original ones xD! I hope you guys enjoy this one!_

_Prologue_

The white halls of the Palace were kept pristine, not a mark or a smudge of dirt amongst the columns, walls, polished floors, or the decor anywhere. Silver suits of armor stood along the walls, murals, tapestries, coats of arms bearing the kingdoms crest, and other such items gave the rooms a regal feel. Though the Kingdom did not have the same renowned bearings that the Kingdom of Hyrule did, Althor still held its own, and it's regal qualities were nothing to be scoffed at.

It was a seaside Kingdom, located to the southwest of Lake Hylia and over the mountains. Most of its villages were a good size, prosperous, and being so close to the sea, many of the Kingdom's citizens were fisherman and sailors. One of the prides of the Kingdom was it's naval fleet. Althor was said to have the best vessels in the world, and on top of that, their voyages bore stories and rare items alike from distant lands all over the known world.

The entire kingdom had also borrowed, over time, architecture from differing lands as well, making it a fairly diverse and beautiful place for its citizens to live. Not only this, but its history was just as steeped in myth, legend, and culture as any other kingdom, perhaps even more than most. The life spent so near the ocean led everyone to know that there was never any telling what the tides would turn up. This was a widely known philosophy among the seaside Kingdom's citizens, and taken to heart by most of them.

Despite this saying that the winds could change at anytime, and that Althor had never been an enemy of it's closest neighbor, Hyrule, recently their relationship had become somewhat shaky. The Royals were not sure what to think over the rumors they'd heard. A son swapped with a daughter who was raised as the Prince in her place, only to take the throne and become a tyrant of a ruler only to later be dethroned at the hands of the very daughter he had replaced, aided by a legendary hero. That word had spread now that all of those problems had been diffused. The tale had reached the King of Althor, and though the royal had grown ill, he was interested after hearing it in sending a contingency of diplomats and his ambassador to Hyrule in order to reestablish relations.

As noble as this cause was, to certain people, it did not sit well. Althor did not need relations with Hyrule. Too long had that Kingdom stood as the pinnacle of the Three Goddesses' creations, and now was the time to attack, when that power was at its weakest, recovering from the war that had been waged on its own lands. Rumor had it that the battle was indeed one to go down in history as legendary, so it stood to reason that Hyrule was in need of restoration.

It was a rainy day outside, an unpleasant cold rain as the winter season had drawn upon them. The shores of the ocean were clearly visible below and in the near distance from where he stood in his chamber, water crashing down upon the sand in white waves. Quietly considering these matters, remembering his discussion with his men earlier upon the issue, he'd come to one single conclusion. Travel had to be made to Hyrule to assess the Kingdom's situation before any other determination could even be considered. It would take time, possibly enough to allow Hyrule to recover, but in the end, there were other means of progress.

The ill King's wishes to establish relations once again would indeed be the perfect opportunity to go there however. Also, the return of the daughter that had been lost so long ago was discussed amongst his men. The word on her name was Zelda, and she was apparently already fairly well loved and respected by the citizens under her. But one thing was for certain. If she had not been raised as Royalty, then the future of the Kingdom could still be questionable, regardless of the state it could have currently been in. This might have been even more good news for them.

Princess Zelda's naivete could prove to be useful. She was young and no doubt foolish, even if she was born to eventually lead her Kingdom. But, perhaps the foolishness lay with her parents, the ones who'd lost sight of their true child from the beginning. After all, if Zelda had found her way back to them, then one had to at least consider her intelligence. It would simply take a trip to ascertain the truth behind it all.

In the end, however, once he had what he had been searching for, none of it would matter anymore. All would perish who stood against them, King and Country alike.


	2. Legends

_Chapter 1 - Legends_

Late Winter had come and brought warmer weathers along with it. The trees were starting to become green again, and there was hustle along the roads of Hyrule's Square as hadn't been in quite a while now. The settlement - located to the direct east of the Palace on the same side of the Zora River separating it from the fields - was the largest town in the Kingdom, even after the destruction that had befallen the lands three months prior. Most of the town that had undergone that devastation during the incidents involving the former King of Evil had been rebuilt over the months. While not back to its former glory in entirety, it was definitely shaping up to that previous position of prestige.

The entire Kingdom itself was looking better and better as time went on, and word had been sent that villages - such as Engleton which had been completely destroyed at the hands of the Evil King, Ganondorf - were also beginning to show much improvement. The land being reshaped and its settlements repaired, would more than likely see a total recovery very soon, but even still, more effort was needed to accomplish this.

It had been three months total since Ganondorf was dethroned, but because of his long reign of tyranny which had started at the hands of his father, it felt like it might have only been a few days or weeks to most. The Lon Lon Herald, a newspaper sent out weekly from a writer who was named Ezim, claimed that reports from travelers throughout the Kingdom were all at ease, but at the same time, completely busy with their efforts of reconstruction. Still, they were relieved to know what they now worked so hard on would at least pay off in full, instead of becoming stolen from them as it would were Ganondorf still upon the throne.

The Hylian Knights were also very busy with work, both aiding in construction around the Palace, as well as traveling to offer aide and bring items and supplies to villages when such things could be spared. The King of Hyrule had declared a formal state of emergency, which said that those in the position to give were expected to do so, and that any village which had been left untouched was to house and shelter those without homes until more could be done for them in the means of relocating, either back to their home towns, or simply to a new home altogether.

It also wasn't uncommon for the King to arrive with men at a village when more needed to be done to restore what was there. Through his help and personal interest, everyone began to feel much better about their work and their futures, which in turn ensured that the standard of the Kingdom was definitely returning more and more to normal.

The Royal Family had it's fair share of tasks to tackle in order to see to this as well. Reforming the Court System was one of those. Not many members of the Court had survived the previous rule, and as a result, new prospects had to be sought out. In the meantime, the King and Queen's power was absolute, though they made most of their decisions through trusted advisors that their citizens approved of, and one of the first plans of action to get Hyrule back on its feet again was to have their appointment of those advisors.

Myriad was one of those people appointed once again to the same position she'd held before. Along with her was Impa and Tenio, both formerly involved in the revolt led against Ganondorf. Tenio, the silver haired Hylian whom had a predilection for archery over swordplay, achieved the record of the youngest advisor to ever sit on the council. For this, Hadinaru rewarded him with land on which he could build his own home. With all of this in place, Tenio had found himself in a very good position with a promising future in order to offer a certain young lady who had captured his heart a ring with which to wed her.

Aside from Tenio, most members of the revolt had returned home in order to rebuild. Dorrel, who'd been one of the key leaders of them all, promised to take care of Bettaro's daughter, Kiama, while her father returned to the destroyed Engleton with the town's Councilman Olnor in order to start rebuilding it. Dorrel and Kiama stayed in Hyrule Town, and Dorrel agreed to take up the role of Councilman for the town before he returned to his own home with his daughter Alia.

Sure progress had definitely been made, and it was during these three months in which the two responsible for the Kingdom's return to light found themselves the most busy. Link and Zelda were both swamped with projects and tasks to take care of. For the two, it definitely helped to have their parents with them, all of it becoming worthwhile in light of that fact, though they did find it a little strange to adapt to their new lifestyles with everything around them that had actually changed.

Zelda was usually busy helping her parents make decisions, learning how things worked as a member of the Royal Family, and in turn, had begun to train under Impa's care once again in order to further her skills in the magic arts. On the other hand, Link did a good deal of traveling, though not constantly. He both stuck close to the Palace with the Knights, as well as delivered aide and supplies to villages in need of them with the rest of his comrade's help.

Because of these busy schedules, Link and Zelda didn't often find time to spend alone with one another, but whenever they had a chance to be together, they usually stuck pretty close in order to make up for the time away. Zelda told Link that if absence truly did make the heart grow fonder, then she was as fond of him as she could ever get. Link had to agree with that.

But their work was enjoyable. Link's father Lyonel was head of the Hylian Knights, and in being such a Knight, not to mention what everyone knew of his son anyway, Link had gotten a good bit of favor amongst his comrades. He'd become much better friends with Tenio over the course of the three months that had passed, and in doing so, they were usually found working together, though not solely. But when their tasks did get hard, they usually had one another's backs.

Tenio was the one who came across the discovery about Epona due to this. It had been a cold, rainy evening when a carriage had become stuck in the mud and the only two about to help drag the carriage from where it had been trapped were Link and Tenio. In order to free it, Link had to cut vines from the tires that had been hidden beneath the surface of the muddy water and wrapped around the wheels, and then help the horses to drag it out finally.

Tenio had taken Epona's reigns for him while he did this and being closer to her, he gave Link the notification. Link was a bit shocked, and wondered why he hadn't noticed, even though it was still early on, but he knew who the culprit was. Frost. Link could only wonder at the oddity that his and Zelda's horses would become parents together as Epona was approximately three to four months along in a pregnancy.

Link began riding Frost instead of Epona due to that, and Zelda seemed excited over the prospect of having a foal. It was one of the things that came along which made her own long days brighter. Having so much to study and learn after all did become a bit grueling after a while, so she made plans to keep the foal and raise it to keep as their own.

But with their busy schedules, it was needless to say that when free time came, both of them took it without question. Such an instance occurred one rainy day in late Winter, and Link found himself with an entire afternoon on his hands. As soon as he did, he knew exactly what he wanted to do with that time. Giving his Father the word that he would see him later, Link headed to the Palace to find his fiancee.

It was evening time in the library which, at that hour, was fairly devoid of people, but that made it much easier for browsing. Amidst the aisles were two young Hylians looking over the shelves of books together, spending that free time in each other's company until dinner.

"Where did that stool go?"

Standing there in a blue gown with white lace trim, Zelda looked to the left and then to the right, lifting a brow after she'd asked the question. There had been a stepping stool there just a moment beforehand, or was that on the next row? She pursed her lips and as she reached up to scratch her temple while she wondered, she heard Link asking her a question from where he stood behind her.

"Not sure, did you find the right book?"

"Yes," she nodded, and decided to try to reach it from where she was, standing on her tip toes and lifting her arm. Sighing when she wasn't tall enough, so she pointed at it and glanced back at him. Link stepped forward and reached for it when she gave him that imploring look for assistance, finding that, while he was much closer, it was still just out of his fingertips.

The both of them stood back down on the heels of their feet and let a few soft snickers because they knew that, were they someone else watching themselves, they would have been heavily amused over the sight. With a shake of his head, Link stood back and put his hands on her waist.

"Hold on, I can fix this."

She blinked her eyes in curiosity, then gasped slightly when she felt her feet leaving the floor. Link lifted her up so that she could reach for it herself, and regaining her composure, Zelda looked toward the shelf the book was on and managed to reach the top of it now, tipping it down and plucking it from its resting spot. "Got it!," she informed him, smiling as he lowered her back down to the floor and let go of her. Turning around to face him with appreciation in her eyes, she said properly, "Thank you, sir. Now I have all of the books I was looking for."

Link, smiling at her, replied with the phrase, "You're welcome, Your Highness. So, what are they, anyway, Zelda? Stories, or something you wanted to study?"

"Both," she informed him, holding three books wrapped in her arms as she turned to head from between the shelves of books with him, and he placed an arm over her shoulders as they went. Leaving those rows of organized reading materials, Zelda further explained, "One is a story about a Dragon named Boemith."

Link listened to the name, and something seemed to click in his head. Zelda glanced up at him to spy the curious look on his face. They walked toward the doors and stopped before he looked down at her and asked, "Boemith? That sounds familiar."

She smiled up at him, seeming happy for some reason he was unaware of yet, and explained, "I'm glad, I was wondering if you would remember. Alma used to tell us stories when we were little about the Dragon who fought to save a Kingdom while everyone truly believed dragons only wanted to destroy them."

"Oh!," he drew out suddenly as if it had all just hit him at once. Seeming to reminisce for a moment, he looked off into space and nodded his head, "I remember those stories. I always tried to ask her what the Dragon looked like and get her to describe it to me as thoroughly as possible, but I think in the end, she just wasn't sure, and so she made something up to appease me."

Zelda gave him a grin and nodded. "I wanted to find the actual books about him and see what they had to say. The other two books," she shrugged, "are just information on history and the royal family I wanted to look up."

Giving her a smile, turning to pull the door open for her, he knew she was busy with many things revolving around Hyrule and both its past as well as the family she was a part of. But while he opened the door, he sighed when a thought struck him. Zelda had walked past, but she heard the sound, and glanced back to see a not so pleasant expression upon his handsome face. Becoming immediately curious and stopping in her steps as they began to traverse the hallway just long enough for him to catch up and walk next to her again, she asked why he suddenly looked the way he did.

"What's wrong? Did you think of something you forgot to do?"

"Well, not really," Link replied. "I was just remembering Alma, and something I didn't want to see."

She watched him while they headed toward a stairwell at the end of the hallway, turning to go up the steps with him once they reached it. She couldn't help but wonder what it was he might've seen, so she asked, "What was that?"

"Nothing," Link shook his head, not really wanting to tell her about the hauntings he'd witnessed in the Dark Palace that had led him to see exactly what had become of the woman who'd raised them both when they were so very young. Apparently Alma had been beheaded in the dungeons, and Link added, "Just remembering Alma and the last we saw of her."

"Oh," Zelda drew out in response, thought she knew he was hiding something from her about it. Reaching the top landing on the floor where her quarters were located, she stayed silent over it for the time being, deciding that if he was hiding something, there'd be no use to ask him more of what it was until they'd reached her chambers. Once they'd gotten to the double doors down the hallway, Link pushed those open for her as well, letting her in first before he followed her.

He'd thought she'd just let it go, had covered up the fact that it was anything significant at all, but he realized all too soon that he'd forgotten about the cat's curiosity she possessed when he heard the question once they were in the room, "Then what was it that you saw?"

She couldn't help but ask, ever so curious over it, and spotted a place to set her books while she waited on his answer.

"I...," he started, shutting the door behind himself, "would rather not say." What else could he tell her? She'd probably know he was lying if he came up with something that wasn't true, and so he'd just have to talk her out of knowing the old fashioned way.

Looking over at her as she set the books down on a table between two ornate chairs in her room that a vase stood upon, filled with a few white flowers which one of the chambermaids had put there that morning, he saw a concerned expression upon Zelda's face. Turning to face him, then walking toward him with a slow shake of her head, she put a hand on his upper arm and said softly, "It must not be very pleasant if you won't even tell _me_."

"It was just," he shook his head, then waved his hand, "an apparition, one that I could have done without seeing."

"Of Alma?"

"Yeah," he drew out the word slowly, looking back at her face. "I'm not going to tell you what I saw though, I don't want to sour your mood."

"Link, it's fine," she informed him, "all of it is in the past now, and if it bothers you, I'd rather you tell me."

She really wasn't giving up on this, he decided, stepping it up to the next level. "Well it doesn't bother me," he explained, "I just don't like it."

"Link, that means it bothers you."

Damned logic. "Not as much as you're implying," he returned with a slightly lifted brow.

She gave him a stubborn look that Link had come to realize more and more over time she'd inherited from her father, and crossed her arms over her chest. In the face of such an expression, he cringed and then cleared his throat. It looked as if talking her out of it the old fashioned way wasn't going to work, so now he had to try the method of distraction. "Can I have a kiss?"

The attempt to distract her made her lift a brow of her own, though she had to fight tooth and nail not to smirk or grin at him. Instead, the flat face remained, and seeing just how determined she was to find out what he had seen all those months ago, Link sighed and shook his head. She won this round. As if she ever lost these types of things.

"Fine. I saw her as a ghost, and her head fell off, suggesting she was taken to the guillotine."

His words had been slightly rushed, and he finally looked back at her to see what she would say or do. Zelda stared at him quietly, then she cringed. The expression made Link rub his eyes in frustration, telling her, "See, I told you it would sour your mood."

"No, it's not that, I just," she sighed, "I wish you hadn't seen that either. Rumor already had it she'd been taken to the dungeon, and I'd assumed she'd been executed, which was a fate I'd rather accept for her than to think she'd been a prisoner for all of those years when she never returned."

The topic of conversation had taken on a much sadder note, and this was yet another reason that Link hadn't wanted to mention it to her. So he reached for her arm and shook his head, tugging her to the table where she'd left the books. "Let's not think about it, Zelda. I'll start a fire and you can start reading. I would rather spend my free time with you doing that then spend it in remorse for things lost a long time ago."

He was right, she knew as much, sighing slowly as she let him pull her over to the chairs. With a nod, giving him a smile that said she was alright and she could definitely do that, Zelda reached for the books and turned to sit down in the chair. While Link headed toward the fire place, seeming to feel a bit better that she wasn't completely downtrodden like he'd been worried she would have become over the mention of the haunting he'd seen, Zelda looked the covers of the books over for the one she wanted.

The fire began to light in the hearth, and Link used a poker to get it to become larger and warm the room up a good bit more, before he heard Zelda's slippers clicking across the marble floor and then onto the carpet with her steps. Turning, he watched her heading to the bed and grabbing two large pillows and a quilted blanket that was laying there before she turned back to head toward him. She carried the items, including one of the books with her, over to where he was crouched on the floor, and he smirked with a hint in mind of what she wanted to do.

"What's this?," he asked, despite the hint he had.

"Well, it's still a bit chilly in here, so I'm making a pallet. It will be warmer near the fire instead of in those chairs."

Link smiled before turning to hang the poker back up again on the rack with the rest of the tools, then went toward the pillows. Sitting against them, watching her as she sat down next to him and pulled the blanket over. He knew, as well as she did, that the chairs simply didn't offer the closeness they both wanted, and so she'd used a clever, inconspicuous reason to get closer instead of simply flat out saying it. As she settled against him, he put his arm around her back and let his hand settle on her waist. Zelda leaned against him, seeing the knowing smile on his face, and she just continued to pretend she was completely innocent.

"So, which book are we reading?," he asked when she stilled against him comfortably, watching her lifting that particular item which had a dark blue cover that she opened in order to be read.

"The stories of Boemith," she told him. "Unless you'd rather me look at the other ones."

"No, Boemith is fine," he replied, "I still want to know what he actually looks like."

The words made her grin, and so she turned to the first page. On it was a drawing of a suit of arms, in one corner bearing the symbol of the Sheikah people, and one the opposite, one that had two swords crossed over a ship with lines shaped into waves beneath it. It was a mark that Zelda had yet to see, and she heard Link asking, "I wonder whose crest that is."

"I don't know yet," Zelda started, turning the pages further, "but I'll ask one of my parents. They should know." Once she'd reached the first page, she had a thought and smiled, asking, "Should I read aloud?," before turning her violet blue gaze up to his face.

With a tilted smile, Link nodded, "Go ahead, I don't mind being read to."

"Alright," she replied and looked back at the book, smiling brightly when he kissed her temple. With her right hand, she placed her index finger beneath the lines that started, "Long ago, three Goddesses created the world and all that resides within it. These sister Goddesses cultivated and nurtured their creations as any true parent would, until those creations were old enough to care for their own before leaving them with several gifts, the most renowned of which was a Triforce that symbolized each of their three persons - Power, Wisdom, and Courage."

With that paragraph read, Link interjected through her reading, "Why is Courage always listed last?"

Zelda snickered and told him sagely, "Because they save the best for last," and she looked up quickly to see his reaction. She began jubilantly laughing when he tilted his head back with a proud smile. It prompted her to ask him, "Satisfied?

"Very, so continue, my lady."

Grinning, she looked back at the book and continued on with the words in it once she'd stopped chuckling so much. "This gift, however, was but one of many, others being strewn about the lands and hidden in several places, or granted to singular races to hold for as long as time allowed. An example of such a gift was the telepathic powers of the Hylians, granted to them by Nayru, and said to be the first race of all that were created."

"Each gift was unique in its own way, but none ever became more obscure than the gift of the Dragons, created in finality of all races by Din, the Goddess of Power, and gifted with the strength to defend and protect all of the things that had been placed in the world. To them, Din gave her fond power of Fire, an element that both brings life, and takes that life away, a perfect symbol to represent a Goddess whom has both the whims and power to alternately grant life and take it away."

As she read, Zelda's voice had become much more narrative, and perhaps even serious in a way. It was after the final paragraph she'd read about Din and gifting the Dragons with her fire that she grew quiet as well, and Link looked down at her face to see her contemplation. As she silently sat, she glanced over at her gloved left hand.

Becoming curios, he asked as she sometimes did to him, "Rupee for your thoughts, love?"

"Oh," she looked up, having drifted off into a daydream of some type, "sorry. I was considering Din, and the Triforce of Power. I wonder if it pains her, what Ganondorf tried to do, or if she is neutral to all whims considering she too has that power to do which she pleases."

"Well," Link shook his head slowly in consideration, "I would think she still has to obide by the needs of her sisters, don't you?"

"Yes," Zelda nodded, then looked back at the book, turning the page since that was where the first one ended. "That's true. I guess I was just curious though." She then went wide eyed and looked up at him, pointing a finger, "No smart comments."

"I didn't say a word," Link grinned at her, remembering well some of the things they'd done together because of her curiosity. He decided not to embarrass her now however because he was actually interested to see where the story went. "Please go on."

Zelda knew not to look at his face, otherwise she'd see some type of smug smirk there on his lips, and she would be prompted to say something over it, furthering the interruption of their story. So instead, she focused on her reading, and started with the rest of the next page.

_The most popular of these fire breathing giants was that of Boemith. Said to be a fierce looking creature with red scales and golden eyes, as well as golden webbing to his huge wings, he was not always such an imposing image to behold. Like other creatures, Boemith was once a child and a clumsy one at that. His tail often seemed to have a mind of its own, and as well, he was the last to leave his nest to flight, often sticking close to his mother's legs with adoration and love for the parent creature at heart._

_Boemith was a character of vast changes throughout his lifetime however, and an example of this change would be the clumsiness he eventually lost. Still and yet, he had to prove himself to other dragons - as his reputation suffered due to both his ungraceful movements during his younger years, as well as his penchant for sticking close to his mother. Siblings and more distant relatives alike would tease him, though Boemith had an unshakeable patience. He was secure in his family's love for him, despite their amusement at his expense. He would simply wait for the opportunity to prove that he'd changed from the Drake he'd once been._

_Distant clouds brought to him that chance he needed to prove himself. The races of the world were growing further apart from the memories of their Goddesses, and fact was turning to Legend, and some Legends were beginning to turn into nothing but myth spoken around a campfire for entertainment. The Dragons became such a myth, and the elaborations that came with telling tales eventually painted these once revered creatures into that of destructive and chaotic, bloodthirsty and malevolent._

_Dragon-kind had to eventually seek refuge when their scales became valued more than their protective strength, their claws and fangs taken as trophies, and their rookeries raided, the young eggs found within them destroyed. Finding no reason to continue protecting races which would harm them so, the Dragons went into indefinite hiding._

_Boemith was no different. He too was forced into hiding, surviving, and watched as many of his kind became embittered toward the races they had been created to protect. Boemith eventually found himself stuck between two lines. On the one hand, he remembered the reasonings for his existence, felt the need to hold close and protect all that stood within the world. But on the other, his own kind were forgetting reason as the ones who'd sought to destroy them had._

_Eventually, myth was reborn as truth, and several Dragons became the villains they were lied into being._

_Boemith tried to remind them all of the lies spun, tried to remind the people hunting them of what a Dragon truly was, but for many, it was too late for words alone. Boemith had to take action, and he surrendered himself to a Kingdom in the Valley's of his mountain home near the sea, where he came to be tormented - allowing his scales and fangs to be pulled to sell for valuables. At the same time, he watched as people fought for possession of him, and never once did he harm his captors._

_There was a boy named Marum, however, whom took kindly to the imprisoned Dragon. The boy was but a servant to the Royals, an orphan, and he, after speaking on several occasions with the creature, attempted to free Boemith. However, the dragon would not leave, and even warned the young boy not to seek any of his kind to inform them that he was a captive now, for they were angry, and would try to kill him on sight. A strange friendship bloomed out of this encounter, and while cruelty and coldness had become all that the Dragon knew even before he'd become imprisoned, he'd finally found some form of comfort._

_The Dragon race thought Boemith to be dead, and had no idea of his true location. It was one cold evening, however, that the truth was revealed. An elaborate plot formulated by enemies of the Kingdom he had surrendered himself to came into action. These men attempted to steal the Dragon, and in the process, were spotted by the eyes of a white Dragon named Effilius._

_Effilius broke the binds that held Boemith captive, but Boemith had not the strength to fight - nor the wish - until Marum came to defend him, that was. Effilius was ready to take down all of the people that had dared to harm or imprison his Draconic brother, including the young servant boy Boemith considered a friend. Marum's risk to save Boemith from being stolen finally evoked a response in the red Dragon, and until that point, no Dragon had ever harmed another. It was then in which Boemith changed this story and attacked Effilus, to protect the boy whom had his love._

_Effilius was so shocked by the turn of events - that Boemith would make such an attack upon him - he nearly could not act. When the white Dragon demanded from the red just why he'd chosen to defend his captors, Boemith looked to Marum, and told him his answer._

"_I have suffered at the hands of these people, this is true, but I have also suffered at the hands of my own kind, for I was clumsy, and stuck too close to mother as a child. I always knew, when I was teased, that deep down, my kind still loved me. This is no different from the people who seek to harm us, and I know that even now, though they are afraid and confused, there are men whom have respect for us as well. We have simply forgotten our purpose, as they forgot the intentions of the Goddesses. But I cannot forsake that purpose, nor can I allow us to continue to become what they have lied of us."_

_It was from that day forth that Boemith was revered for his steadfast service to his Goddesses, as well as the people he'd protected. Even though eventually, the greed that men possessed caused some to continue their hunting, Boemith survived, and as legend has it - or perhaps even fact - became the last of his kind. These are the stories of his efforts to restore the Dragons to their previous prestige, and his accomplishments in his lifetime._

The introduction to the book having been finished, Zelda smiled and looked up at Link who had been listening to every word. The rest of the pages embellished on the concepts the introduction told of, and Zelda asked, "Should I continue?"

"It's definitely interesting," Link smiled, "So, he was red?"

The comment made her smile over his endless wondering of what the dragon might've looked like, prompting her to settle the book into her lap for a moment to thumb through the pages and see if she could find any pictures. When she came to a set of them that had drawings, she stopped. One of the pictures was of a large creature on all fours with a young boy sitting near him, in order to show the size differences. Looking it over, Link lifted his brows and heard Zelda speaking what he'd been thinking.

"He really _was_ big, wasn't he?"

Nodding his head to Zelda's comment, Link looked over the picture closely and said, "I wish there actually _were_ Dragons around. Well, not angry Dragon's," he chuckled out.

"I agree," Zelda grinned before turning the book back to the page she'd been at when she'd stopped reading, considering it would be wondrous to see something that big flying through the skies. Finding the first story as she thought about it, something popped into her head which she blinked over and looked up at Link in question.

"Oh, wait, before we go on, weren't we supposed to go down for dinner?"

"Oh, you're right," Link cringed, "I guess the stories will have to wait until later."

Nodding, Zelda closed the book without marking her place since they weren't too far into it, and she pushed the blankets off of them, stopping when she felt Link taking her upper arm and tugging her in closer. When she looked at him, he leaned up to kiss her, wanting to take just a moment before they left to do so.

Zelda settled down against him, closing her eyes and returning the kiss slowly while she wound her arms around his sides. It wasn't often that they got opportunities to enjoy such private time in recent months, and now was definitely a good chance. Zelda knew as much herself, and they both wanted to savor it.

Zelda had come to realize that it hadn't mattered how badly her day had gone, once she saw Link, and if she got the chance to be alone with him like this, she forgot about everything else and felt completely comfortable again. Link, in turn, had realized the same thing, especially when he returned from long rides offering aide to the villages in the Kingdom. As the kiss slowly grew more and more passionate, their tongues slowly rolling together, he felt everything melting away, nothing but the woman he was with left behind.

Taking in a deeper breath, realizing he was becoming more aroused than he should have in that moment, he gently, and slowly, tugged his lips away from hers. Zelda had felt the same responses to the kiss, and she inhaled deeply before lowering her head to his chest. They'd promised one another they would wait, now that they were engaged, to be married before they went any further into the intimate world they'd so lightly explored, and it was sometimes a difficult task to remember to perform.

"I love you."

Link buried his fingers in her hair when Zelda spoke that line, replying on a soft voice, "I love you too, and I miss you."

Not speaking of that promise now, just holding one another quietly with those words, they knew they would sit there for several moments before they finally left the room, desiring the peace and quiet together. In all, it had been a good day for them both, and just being in one another's company without someone else distracting them was just as good as the kiss they'd shared.

Dinner could wait just a few more minutes before they left.


	3. Request

_Chapter 2 - Request_

"Where in the world are they?"

Hadinaru lifted a brow when he asked the question, sitting at the head of the large dinner table in the dining room, his wife, Myriad, and Lyonel accompanying him. The two families had decided to have a dinner together as they sometimes did, and now they simply awaited the arrival of their children. They'd been waiting for a good fifteen minutes now for the two young adults to join them when Hadinaru had asked the question.

It was Lyonel who started with an explanation, "I saw Link earlier and told him to take the day and spend it freely. We didn't much help working on the gates, and I thought he could use it since he'd been working so hard lately. But I'm unsure what might have caught his attention."

Myriad, having just swept a few blonde locks of hair over her shoulder, wearing it down freely that evening with silver clasps on each side of her head above her Hylian ears, glanced over at her husband and started in answer, "The Library."

"The Library?" Nissandra asked, sitting next to Hadinaru, her hair in a braided bun and a sapphire inlaid circlet of silver encompassed her head. While she asked the question, she'd picked up a salty cracker from her plate, holding herself over for the main course.

"Yes," Myriad nodded in response, "Zelda asked me earlier if there were any books on the stories about the Dragon, Boemith. I told her there were, and so she went to look. I spied the two of them not long later leaving the library together. She had a few books in her arms, so I'm assuming she wanted to read some of them with him."

"Ah," Hadinaru nodded over the revelation, sitting back comfortably in his seat. "I wonder if time escaped them then. After all, Zelda seems to be able to read five books a day if you allow her the time to."

Nissandra smiled over that comment, nodding her head in agreement, and Hadinaru plucked a cracker from her fingertips before she could eat another one. He didn't want her to spoil her dinner, though he knew she was hungry, and when she gave him a pouting expression, he sighed and pursed his lips. Finally, he handed it back to her, which made her grin. Myriad let a little snicker in response, and Lyonel smirked.

It was at that time when the doors to the dining room suddenly opened, and as if having been summoned, the two under discussion stepped inside. Link shut the doors behind them and Zelda greeted with the words, "I'm sorry we're late! We got distracted reading a book I found in the library."

"We were just talking about that," Nissandra chuckled, allowing Zelda to come and sit next to her. Zelda leaned over and kissed her cheek just before she sat down, had given her father the same affectionate greeting before she past him, and Link sat with his own parents when Nissandra continued. "Myriad said you'd gone to look up some books, so we figured time might have escaped you."

"Sorry," Link and Zelda both spoke simultaneously, and the perfectly timed words made their parents chuckle softly. Zelda gave Link a smile and he smirked in return.

"There's nothing to worry over," Hadinaru began, "it was only marginal. But this is your warning. Next time, I have you flogged."

The jest made Link grin, who then commented, "Flogged, huh? You know, that's the one thing I've yet to experience."

The servants had began to move about the chairs of the table while the conversation went on and dinner began, carrying trays of food to be eaten, stopping by each person to serve them if they wanted what was on the tray in particular. As this occurred, Lyonel glanced at his son following the comment of having never been through a flogging. "You're not saying you _want_ to, are you?" He lifted a humored brow.

"Of course not," Link responded after accepting a roll of bread to go along with his meal. "I was just considering everything I _have_ experienced, and that's not one of them." Then he cringed with the memory of being strung up in a bed of poisonous, barbed vines, but his thoughts along those lines were interrupted when a servant offered him a pitcher, so he lifted his goblet to allow them to pour the drink.

He wasn't entirely used to being served like this yet, almost felt selfish and perhaps even a bit silly for not simply going to get his own plate and bringing it back to the table, but it was just how things were done. Besides, as Lyonel had put it to him, it gave the servants a job to do, so he had to remind himself that - just as he wouldn't want to be stuck with idle hands - he was fairly certain the servants also needed and wanted their jobs.

Zelda had admitted to him herself that she felt a little strange accepting such luxuries, but it was even worse on her end. She was brought breakfast in bed on several mornings, awoken with the head chambermaid, a woman named Arlina, and sometimes then even taken to be dressed - that was, if there were formal events to take place that day. Though, with some of the outfits she wore, Zelda could see why she needed the help to put them on. It wasn't always easy to tie laces on the back of her gowns without assistance.

Following that, Zelda usually had two, sometimes three handmaidens somewhere near by while in the Palace at most times, ready to give her what she needed. As Hyrule returned to normal over the three months Hadinaru and Nissandra had taken the throne again, this type of service had only become more frequent. Even today, when Link had come to see her, she had to scurry the handmaidens off so she could go to the library with him to have a little time to themselves.

Zelda was currently putting a bit of butter onto a roll she'd taken while Link looked over at her thinking of this. Her hair was rolled up at the nape of her neck and secured with a simple silver band, and Link could only wonder then if maybe one of those chambermaids had done that for her as well. But Link's thoughts were distracted when Hadinaru spoke to him, bringing him back to the conversation at hand, "Well, it can be arranged."

He looked at Link with a jesting grin, and Link, remembering his comment of having never been flogged, chuckled out the words, "I'll keep that in mind."

The reply got the King to laugh softly, and his wife chided, "Alright you two, that's enough."

"He started it," Link told Nissandra while motioning to the King, and Hadinaru only chuckled more loudly. Over time, Link and Hadinaru had gotten to a point where they both liked to joke about their positions in life - Hadinaru being the overlord and Link the noble subordinate under his command. The joking began the more the two had gotten to know one another, and comments such as the one Link had just made became frequent during casual conversations such as they were having now.

"Well, you should end it," Myriad chimed in to her son, giving Link a playful smile. "After all, why lower yourself to his level?"

Hadinaru gave Myriad a lifted brow, washing his food down with the contents of his goblet before he told her, "I thought you were my ally in this, Myriad. Now I see your _true_ colors."

They were all smiling, and Myriad laughed softly before she heard Lyonel asking blandly, "Love, will I have to defend your honor now?"

"Oh stop it," Nissandra drew out with a chuckle, settling her own goblet back onto the table. "Can we enjoy dinner without declaring personal wars?"

Her smile was bright and she was trying not to chuckle, knowing it would only encourage their warring banter. Hadinaru patted her hand with a little grin in response, asking, "Truce, Myriad?"

"Truce, my lord," she smiled playfully while she spoke as if giving in unwillingly. "Let us speak of more pleasant things."

"I concur," Nissandra grinned. She seemed to know exactly what to change the subject to as well. "Link, Zelda, I received word from Engleton today. The village's reparation is going very smoothly according to the Councilman."

Link smiled in hearing this as a subject change - a genuine smile - asking the Queen, "How is Olnor, anyway?"

"Doing well," she responded. "He asked me to tell him about how the two of you are in turn. He also said to let you know that Kiama and Bettaro are also doing fine, and Kiama said to tell you both hello."

Zelda turned a pleasant expression up to her mother and nodded over the news. "When you reply to him, tell them hello, and that we're doing just fine. It's taking a little adjusting, but fine nonetheless."

"What's taking adjusting?" Hadinaru asked after a short moment following a bite of his food, turning a curious gaze toward his daughter.

Zelda had lifted her goblet to her lips and was in the middle of a sip of her drink when she heard the question and lifted her eyes to her father to see his face. She then hurried to swallow what she'd taken in so she could reply before he thought it was something very important. Clearing her throat after covering her mouth with her fist, she replied softly, "Nothing."

Hadinaru gave her a scrutinizing look, one which made her purse her lips. "Father, don't look at me like that. I'm just not used to all of the handmaidens following me about."

Glancing at his wife when Zelda admitted this, and then back at his daughter again, Hadinaru lifted a genuinely confused brow over his eye. "I don't think I've ever heard anyone complain about that."

"Well, I can do things on my own," Zelda returned logically. "After all, I used to work on a small garden and deliver items throughout a village every day by myself. I can handle my affairs."

Hearing that made Hadinaru chuckle. Even Nissandra smiled, but she turned a sweet face toward her daughter and explained when Zelda looked confused over what was so funny, "My dear, trust us, in time you'll learn to appreciate the handmaidens. I realize they tend to be bothersome when they're so close and you've nothing for them to do, but once you start accepting more responsibility, you'll be endlessly thankful for their help."

With a sigh, Zelda glanced back at her food thoughtfully and said, "I suppose. I just need to adjust," she gave her father a meaningful look, "as I'd mentioned before."

"I know, little one. I'm sorry, I don't mean to seem suspicious or doubtful. I simply want to know anything that bothers you so it can be addressed properly and handled."

Zelda knew as much and was grateful for her father's concern, very grateful indeed. In the meantime however, she would simply have to continue to find things for the ladies to do even if it wasn't necessary. Except for Jada that was. Zelda enjoyed socializing with the young woman whenever she'd gotten the chance to. Jada - Tenio's wife - offered her services up to become a handmaiden for the Princess due to living in Hyrule now, and since the two knew each other, Nissandra agreed to make things easier on them both.

After all, Jada was a somewhat nervous girl when she was in new places, but with her tasks and someone she knew and trusted close by, she could take her mind off of her worries. Becoming a handmaiden for Zelda had definitely seemed to help settle her in. The two of them liked to speak amongst each other often about the days activities when there wasn't much of anything to do at the time. Most times, they spoke of happenings, or their significant others, being Link and Tenio. Zelda simply found it odd that they had so much in common, especially that, as she began to know Jada better, Link had also formed a good friendship with her newlywed husband.

The conversation had died off slightly after father and daughter spoke, each person lapsing into their own thoughts for a moment until Myriad spoke once she swallowed a bite of her food. She seemed to remember something, giving a soft snap of her fingers as if it might've been a bit important. "Oh, Hadinaru, did you receive the request from Althor I left for you? I promised myself I wouldn't forget to ask, but I've been busy trying to care for my own correspondence."

"Mmm," Hadinaru drew out in remembrance through his mouthful, his eyes going a slight bit wide and he dabbed his napkin across his lips while nodding his head. "Actually, I did. I wanted to speak with you over that. Now seems like a good time to."

"Yes, it is," Myriad agreed. "You seem happy with whatever it spoke of."

"Well, there's a part of me that _is_ disappointed. The King of Althor made the request, but he has grown ill, so he won't be able to travel."

Myriad's lips turned to a frown, and with a sigh, she drew out, "How disappointing. I rather looked forward to seeing him again after all these years."

Hadinaru seemed to agree, and Zelda looked at Link in confusion and watched him shrug back at her, also unsure of what their parents were talking about exactly. When he did, she glanced back at her father and asked, "What request from Althor?"

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry Zelda. We used to be good friends with Seriun, their King, and I forget you don't know who we do. Myriad," he looked over at her, "I do need your advisement on this request as well. Seriun wants to reestablish Althor's relations with Hyrule. After," Hadinaru stopped, apparently loathe to mention the name of Ganondorf at the dinner table, so he just said, "the leadership of our kingdom changed, relations fell into stale air and eventually vanished. But Seriun said that word has reached Althor of the truth of things, and he would very much like to send a contingency of his diplomats and his new Ambassador in order to talk."

It was the first real dealing with foreign affairs Zelda had been privy to since her father had taken the Throne again, and she found herself completely interested. Link saw the look on her face that told him she'd probably want to bring this up later because of much she really seemed to enjoy learning all of these new things, and he himself was curious about what might happen. Before he could ask anything however, Lyonel began to speak.

"Seriun was definitely a good friend, so if he knows the truth, then I'm not surprised we heard word from Althor this soon."

"I agree," Myriad nodded, then she took a deep breath in thought. Link found himself watching and listening closely in order to catch a glimpse of the things that his mother and father used to do before he was born. After all, so far, most things had only been run of the mill, restoration and speaking of the best ways to get Hyrule back onto its feet again. This was much different, and he was curious as to what they might say. After a moment of silence on his mother's part, she began again in question, "If King Seriun isn't coming, will his son be replacing him?"

"Yes," Hadinaru nodded, then he looked at Zelda and decided to explain something to her. "Royalty isn't required to travel on diplomatic functions, my dear, but it is taken in good faith when done, and Seriun, being a friend as he is, would usually take the time out, as we did also, to travel between our Kingdoms."

Hadinaru knew that Zelda would appreciate the information, and she'd listened to every word carefully as he'd suspected she might, then nodded in thought over it. Once he was finished explaining that, he turned back to Myriad, and in response to her question more fully, he finished off, "But yes, Myriad, Prince Risek has been asked to travel here in his father's stead. The last I saw of the lad, he was only four years old, but he has come to shoulder a great deal of his ill Father's responsibilities. He'll be coming with the Ambassador and his diplomats."

Continuing on after a soft sigh of breath, he added, "This, however, is why I wanted your advice. I'm not going to turn down the request of course, but I find myself slightly worried over the time that has lapsed between us. Anything could have changed in Althor since then, and may make it difficult to reform our alliances."

"Yes, I know," Myriad told him with a nod, then she looked at her husband and lifted a brow. "Have you been privy to any information during the years of our absence?"

"No," Lyonel shook his head, "as Hadinaru said the letter told, there was no word from any Kingdom during the dark reign. None of us sought outside help for realizing that it was best not to drag others into the mess that had been caused, and likewise, word of the mercilessness this kingdom had fallen into kept outsiders at bay."

Myriad took this all in as she listened to her husbands words. So not only could anything have changed in Althor, but there was even a new Ambassador now, and not the one they'd been used to before. Instances like this made Hadinaru a bit worried simply because it could form into a precarious position, especially if something was unacceptable and it caused tension. Thoughts such as this gave Myriad the thought that the Kingdom might have yet been too tender from its wounds, not yet ready to face such a task, but at the same time, she knew the alliance would fortify them as well. After all, Althor may send help to get things done a bit faster if things went smoothly.

"Hmm, then in this case," Myriad looked back at her King in answer to his request for advice, "I believe that we will simply have to hold court with the diplomats and find out what Althor's intentions are once again. I don't believe it's too early for Hyrule to accept such an invitation at all, and that, saying things have changed and there is any type of threat, we also have to remember that they are just as in the dark about us, which makes the fields even. But under King Seriun's rule, ill or not, I doubt there is anything to worry about. Either way, you can rest assured they have the same questions of us as we of them."

Hadinaru nodded while Zelda watched him, the expression and motion he'd given seeming to state that Myriad had confirmed what he'd believed. While she looked between the two, hearing the mention of Court, she had a thought and asked, "Wait, isn't the first session of Court to be held this week?"

"Yes," Nissandra nodded, "in two days."

Zelda knew her attendance was wanted, and once she'd confirmed this, she asked, "I thought something of this importance would be discussed there. Or, is this strictly off of the record since the two of you are friends?"

Hadinaru grinned, then nodded his head, "Yes, something of this calabur normally would be saved for Court, little one. So Myriad and I are simply preparing beforehand. It's become a habit I've taken for granted in knowing her so well."

"Your Father views me as nothing more than a tool to be used," Myriad replied with a feigned frown, turning her blue eyes back to the King. In the effort of teasing him, she turned his words on him with a playfully narrowed gaze. "Now I see your _true_ colors, Hadinaru."

Hadinaru and Lyonel both laughed, and Nissandra sighed out the words, "Not again. Hadinaru, shall I defend _you_ now?"

"She started it," Hadinaru told his wife, motioning to Myriad and taking Link's line in the process.

As the chuckling starting, Lyonel gave the warning, "En garde," and the resulting laughter filled the dining room as dinner continued on.

It was Link who said once the mirth had died down just a bit, "If _we_ can't even be friends, how are we expecting Althor to become one again?"

"They're doomed to see our true colors," Zelda sighed out softly as if dejected, causing more laughter to follow. She grinned over it, especially when her mother patted her back as if to comfort her. It was an innocent, genuine laughter that was had, one which could make someone wonder why - as well as become surprised - that they laughed so much, but they just couldn't stop themselves.

Hopefully, even though they joked that Althor wouldn't return to being allies with Hyrule due to the humor between one another, the relationship between the two Kingdoms could be repaired. To top it off, Zelda found herself anxious to meet the Althorians, deciding that she would have to ask as many questions about them as she could before they came so that she could be up to date on what was going on.

Link was also curious over the affair. Being just a Knight, however, he doubted he would have much personal interaction with the contingency being sent to Hyrule. But he considered it anyway while escorting Zelda to her chambers a bit later so that she could turn in for the evening. They were both a little quiet on the way there, but they were walking fairly slowly, just to make their time together last a little bit longer.

Seeing her doors ahead when she glanced up again, Zelda decided perhaps some slight conversation would help, and she told Link, "Have you considered how different things are now, but how they feel so natural, and sometimes even as if they're the same as before?"

Her arm was in his, and he looked down at her, thinking about her words for a moment before he nodded, able to see where she was coming from. "You're right. I think it's because the different is a good different."

She smiled when he put it like that, squeezing his arm in hers, and then she narrowed her brows as they stopped before the door over what she felt. Seeing the expression on her face as she looked at his arm, he asked her, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she shook her head, "you just," she stopped, then reached with her other hand, placing it on his bicep. "Are you bigger or am I simply imagining things?"

Link wasn't completely sure, though it wouldn't have surprised him with the way he had to work everyday, sometimes moving heavy objects constantly. Not to mention, being unable to see Zelda as often as he'd like, she would more than likely notice a change like that. So he flexed his arm and asked, "I don't know, does that feel different?"

There was a definite rock-like muscle beneath the sleeve of his shirt, not that he hadn't had any before. But she could definitely tell a difference in it now, and Zelda raised a slender brow before turning her face up at him and simply smiling wordlessly as she reached for her door to open it. The look said she was either pleased or amused, maybe both, and it caused Link to grin.

"You must like it," he picked at her.

"We'll see," she chuckled, turning to face him after her door was opened, letting it swing to slowly, and she sighed out her breath. They did this every evening that he escorted her back to her room - would simply stand outside of her doors talking in order to stall just a bit - and now was no different. In her efforts, she began on an entirely new topic.

"So, what do you think Court will be like?"

Link didn't mind her questions at all. If she wanted to stand there and talk, then he was all up for it, content to speak of whatever she wanted to. "Probably boring for me since I'm not going to get to participate much," he started, "but for you, I think you'll have a good time."

She smirked, seeming to consider him through her violet blue gaze, then told him, "You just want a fight to break out so you can have something to do."

"Not specifically," he grinned, "but I would like some disorderly conduct to attend to."

Zelda was snickering before he could finish. "Maybe you'll get a chance if the Althorian's aren't nice," she joked back with him. But with the mention of the Kingdom, she had another thought. "Which reminds me, I had a concern about them."

"What's that?"

"Well," she started, "what if they don't approve of us? And I mean you and I. It might go against their standards for a Royal to wed someone such as a Knight like you are. I mean, I doubt it will effect the affairs between our Kingdoms, but it does make me curious."

Link hadn't considered that just yet, and he glanced to the side, his brows going a bit flat while he thought about it. Slowly, he shook his head, "I don't think it will effect anything either, but it could cause friction if only socially. Still," he looked at her again, "I don't think that, diplomatically, it would be a good idea for them to criticize it outwardly. In the meantime, we could ask Hadinaru about it and see what he says, and if the Althorians have concerns, they can always just address them."

"That's what worries me," Zelda sighed out softly. "I don't want it to be addressed because it shouldn't be."

After Zelda admitted that, Link, who completely agreed with the assessment, reached over at took her hand, telling her, "Don't worry about it. That's still a few weeks off. For now, we have all the time in the world to prepare for such an instance. So we can concentrate on it later."

"Right," she nodded, gifting him with a little smile. She then squeezed her hand in his, and sighed out a breath. "I guess I should go get some sleep. I have an early day tomorrow with Impa, and I think you do too with the Knights."

Link nodded, remembering how he had to leave before dawn with the Knights to travel. He was leaving with Tenio and Arden, and they would more than likely be gone for most of the day. There was another reason for it though that Zelda didn't know about, and he wasn't going to say anything now. But her eighteenth birthday was very close, and several people were planning more of a surprise party for her than she knew. It was not only a good secret so far, but Link also felt, in a way, revenge for the one she'd thrown for him.

He was looking forward to seeing her reaction to the party, but before that, he couldn't help considering his thoughts over everything now. Due to his travels tomorrow, Zelda probably wouldn't get a chance to see him at all. Even though, with as much as they'd been apart, perhaps he should have been used to it, he just couldn't, and the thought left a sour taste in his mouth.

Apparently thinking the same thing he was in that moment, Zelda whispered, "I don't want to go to my room."

"I know, I don't either." Reaching over, he placed his hand against her lower back and drew her near. Their foreheads met and their eyes closed, and Link found himself tempted to stay just to spend more time with her, just to enjoy her closeness. But with the Chambermaids buzzing about, if they found him in the Princess's bedchambers - especially in her bed asleep, after dark, with her next to him - well, it didn't take a genius to figure out what would happen.

There _was_ a lock on the door however, but Link also knew that, were he to stay with her, there would be other temptations, and Zelda realized that herself. So as they usually did, Link lifted his head and pressed a kiss to her brow affectionately, then her cheek, and finally her lips, drawing it out slowly in order to say goodnight. Every time he did this, she would push her fingers into his blonde hair and return the kiss while he tried to make it last as long as possible, but somehow, it always ended far too soon no matter what they did. There needed to be some kind of relic that could stop time for a little while, he considered, wondering if Nayru had ever created one. He'd learned through Zelda's conversations about it that she was the Goddess whom had apparently created the entire concept.

Nayru forgot to put a control with the idea though, because time seemed to pass far too quickly when he was with Zelda, and too slowly when he wanted to see her again.

Finally, their lips parted, and Zelda opened her eyes to look up at him with a soft sigh. She slipped her fingers against his cheek and his jaw, whispering, "I love you, Link."

With a sigh of breath in the knowledge that they really couldn't just continued standing there, he replied softly, "I love you, too. Sweet dreams, Princess."

The use of the title made her smile, and she slowly backed away, whispering, "Goodnight," and then turned to go inside. Taking her door, she watched him as she shut it until she could no longer see him anymore. Link gave her a warm smile until the door had latched, and then that smile faded and he looked rather annoyed. Turning with a slight smack of his lips, he started walking down the hallway, guessing that until they were married, he just wasn't going to be able to do as he wanted to.

While he walked, he heard a door opening before him and glanced up, spying his father heading into the corridor just ahead of him. His parent's chambers had been relocated temporarily due to the efforts of renovation in some rooms of the Palace, so they weren't too far away from Zelda for the time being. Currently, they were down the hall and around the corner near the northern tower of the Palace, and would be there for a few days longer.

Turning to head down the hallway, and spotting his son in the process, Lyonel stopped briefly and asked, "Did you get Zelda to her room?"

"Yes," Link nodded, but Lyonel could see the annoyance that was on his face.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he replied, shrugging a bit. "Just a little annoyed that we have such little time to spend together."

"Ah," Lyonel drew out shortly with a nod, watching as Link came to a stop before him. Deciding to offer a little fatherly advice and expertise, he went on, "Believe me, when you're both married, you'll have more than enough time to make up for it. There shouldn't be a rush. So don't worry too much."

"I know," Link sighed out, then looked up at the blonde haired Hylian. "I guess I just miss her. It seems we've had so little time together over the past few months that she hadn't even realized until tonight that I've apparently put on a little more muscle than before. Which I didn't realize myself," he added, looking at his arm in consideration.

Lyonel started smiling over the comment, knowing that you never really noticed any changes in yourself until someone else pointed them out to you. But while he had Link there for the moment, he had a question in mind to ask him and lifted a hand as he asked, "By the way, were you about to go rest for your travels tomorrow?"

When Link nodded, he asked, "Why? Did you want to talk to me?"

"Well, not about anything that can't wait until later. I just wanted to ask you if you'd been able to prepare more for Zelda's birthday, and if she suspects anything, because Myriad and I found a gift for her."

"Oh," Link remembered suddenly, nodding his head with a smile. "Hadinaru wants the party to be held in the gardens because it will be less likely spotted there, and he said Zelda seems to like spending a good bit of time in the gardens anyway when she's reading. But she hasn't even asked about it. I think her mind is too busy on other things to notice."

"Good," Lyonel smiled, "you'll manage to get a little revenge for your own surprise party," he chuckled. "But that was all I needed to know. I'd forgotten to ask her parents of the location earlier, so I wasn't completely certain."

Link gave a nod and a smile, then he said, "I think she's going to have a lot of fun. By the way, is Mother already in bed?"

"I think she's getting ready for it. She was up before dawn this morning trying to work on the correspondence so she could get a head start on everything."

Link cringed a bit, and with a slow nod of his head, he asked, "Would you tell her I said goodnight then? I'll try to come by to see her after I get back tomorrow."

"Of course I will," Lyonel told him, giving him a pat on the shoulder in the process. "Go on and get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow evening."

"Goodnight Father," Link replied with a smile, walking to the stairwell once their brief words were exchanged and heading to his bedchamber, which was on the floor above. He knew that tomorrow he'd just have to keep Zelda's party in mind to look forward to, hoping that she suspected absolutely nothing whatsoever. But if her preoccupation with her schedule was any indication, he got the feeling she was going to be just as surprised as he had been when they'd thrown his party all of those months ago.

He just hoped nothing would tip off the clever Princess in the meantime. After all, Zelda did have an innate curiosity and a penchant for being able to figure things out if that curiosity was pricked a good few times. So he simply hoped that, for now, her reading wouldn't take her to the gardens, which was the reason he'd asked Jada to make sure to lead her elsewhere. Jada might have been very shy and timid around most people, but she had told Link that if she suspected Zelda was going to head into the gardens for a bought of reading, she would make sure to distract her by some inconspicuous means.

Link hoped the young woman could pull it off. He'd hate to come back to find that Zelda had figured out what was going on the day that her party was to be thrown, which was after tomorrow and one day before the first session of Court was scheduled.


	4. White Riders

_Chapter 3 - White Riders_

"Lindon! What are you doing out there!?"

The sunny day was shaping up nicely. The crops on the farm - located about a mile east of Lon Lon Ranch near the Wagon Trail that led across Hyrule's fields and into Engleton - were all becoming quite green and ripe. The weather was just right for them, not too warm and not too cold, so they would be good for harvesting very soon now, and some probably already were. An older man was standing before that green field now, looking over the fruit of his labor, a light brown mare grazing through the grass near him while he smiled before hearing his name being called.

Reaching up to push his slightly wavy whitening hair behind his pointed ear beneath his brown rimmed hat, Lindon looked back toward his home settled across the way and grumbled softly. Breakfast was probably ready, and his wife wanted him to come in to eat before he did anymore work for the day.

Shrugging over it, the nearly fifty year old man looked at his mare and reached out to take her reigns. "Come on, Lizza, let's get you fed too before we start gathering."

"Lindon!"

"I'm coming, Juney! I was about to feed the horse!"

He heard more words shouted from the house but he couldn't understand what she'd said to him, and simply shrugged, deciding that - if it was important enough - his wife would tell him whenever he went inside. Beginning to walk along so he could do as he'd suggested to her that he would, Lindon tugged on his horse's reigns. He'd barely gotten ten paces with his animal behind him however before a strong wind picked up and blew his hat from his whitening head of hair, making him reach up quickly in surprise and squint his eyes in the sunlight now that they were no longer shaded by the rim of his hat.

"Well that was strange," he muttered, leaving Lizza to stand where he'd led her so far as he walked over toward his hat now laying in the grass and reached down before he lifted it up. Once he had it in his hand and stood up straight again, a glinting of light in the distance caught his eyes as he tried to pluck a few strands of grass from the head wear he'd just recovered. In curiosity, he turned his gaze to look in that direction.

Stepping forward when he saw whatever it was glinting again, he put his hat back onto his head in order to block out some of the glare of the sun on the flat fields in which he stood. As his view came more into focus, he could clearly see the outline of a horse in the distance, but the rider on the animal's back was a bit harder to make out. He couldn't help but reach up and scratch his temple in consideration. The rider was a good ways off, unmoving currently, settled near the trees in the very far distance, and Lindon knew if the sun hadn't glinted off of, well, whatever it was the rider had that could have possibly been shiny, he would have never even noticed them there.

The one thing Lindon _could_ tell however was that the rider looked to be wearing white, and his horse looked as if it was also that color, if not maybe a grey. It was too hard to tell, and deciding that, if whomever it was wanted to approach them or needed some type of help, they would wander on over.

Without much more to think on the matter, Lindon turned and took Lizza's reigns once more, leading the light brown mare toward the trough of water before he grabbed her bag of oats settled against the reservoir and went to pour it into her food bag. Another wind picked up while he did this, though it didn't blow the hat off of his head this time, but what he did notice was that Lizza seemed to get a bit upset.

Setting the bag of oats back down, Lindon reached over and patted his brown mare's nose, asking, "What's the matter, girl?" Maybe the rider was approaching, he thought, and turned to look back and see for himself. But there was no one coming. Instead, what Lindon did see surprised him. There was more than one rider now, all of them looking to be dressed in the same colors, but they were moving away, disappearing within the trees and out of sight one by one seemingly.

With a confused expression, unable to discern exactly who they were or where they might've been going, Lindon just waved a dismissive hand and decided not to pay the instance any mind unless he was visited by someone later. But as he put the food bag over Lizza's mouth, he thought about something he'd heard recently from a few friendly people passing through, something that had been buzzing over at Lon Lon Ranch.

White Riders.

Turning from his horse with the words in his mind, Lindon stared at the trees in the distance and tilted his head. What was it that he'd heard? Something about a group of White Riders being spotted in the fields here and there, but the always disappeared before anyone could get a good glimpse of them.

"Lindon!"

The voice of his wife was much closer - and louder - this time since he was next to the house, and it jarred him out of his thoughts so quickly that he knocked his own hat off of his head this time. "I'm coming!," he yelled back, reaching down for his hat once more and heading to the door, exclaiming on the way, "Juney, I just saw something kind of strange!"

---

"Ouch!"

"I'm sorry, my lady."

"It's alright, you just snagged a bit of it."

Zelda was having her hair done, the back of it tied into a braid at the bottom and wrapped in ties that matched the color of the dress she wore, a lavender color, and the chambermaid redid the tie before she let go of it and nodded her head over the work she'd just completed. It was a lovely hairstyle for the Princess in particular, one that they'd decided would still show off the length without simply leaving it free flowing to get in her way when she was doing different tasks.

"All done." Once she'd informed Zelda of that, she stepped back to allow the Princess to push herself up to stand. When Zelda - smoothing her skirts out with her hands - stood up straight and turned to one of the maids, she thanked the one who'd just finished her hair and then heard a knock at the door. Zelda began getting help buttoning the cuffs of her sleeves on the dress she wore when the sound came to them, and the chambermaid who'd just welcomed her for the task walked to the door in order to answer it.

Zelda was guessing it was Impa, and she was right, however Impa wasn't alone. Jada was with her, as well as another young handmaiden, and once the door opened, the chambermaid who'd just answered it said, "Oh, Impa, we were just finishing with her hair and clothing. She's almost ready to go."

Impa nodded, letting the two Handmaidens into the room. Jada smiled in silent greeting to Zelda as she stepped in to wait for her, and the Princess returned the smile. The handmaidens were dressed alike in white dresses that had long skirts and ruffles along the front of their bodices with ties pinned down by onyx broaches. The dresses were simple, but very nice looking in style, and the handmaidens always wore them to be distinguished from the regular chambermaids who wore dresses that were much more uniform-esque.

After Zelda smiled in silent greeting to Jada, she looked at Impa and said, "Good morning."

Impa bowed her head in silent response to the greeting, then watched as the chambermaids went to go about their business as they'd finished their tasks, leaving the one by one. Zelda watched them go, the doors left open for the time being, and she glanced over at Impa and asked, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I did," Impa replied, "what about you?"

Reaching out, she gave Zelda a hug, and while they embraced, the Hylian's reply came, "I had a little trouble getting to sleep, so I read a book that Link and I started yesterday." Zelda considered the night before, how she'd just sat in her bed somewhat dejectedly, and then decided that reading might've made her groggy enough to actually go to sleep. So she'd pulled out the stories of Boemith first, then, when her interest got a little too high, she pulled out the book of history which did the trick. Not that she wasn't interested, but all of those historical figures could definitely become redundant after a short while.

Jada looked pleased over the news that Zelda had gotten the chance to read with Link the night before however, knowing how they didn't have too much time to spend together recently, and she asked,"How is he?"

Zelda smiled, glad she could honestly tell her, saying, "He's doing well, Jada. Still the same Link," she chuckled. Then, with the thought of the book she'd been reading with him in mind, she remembered a question she'd had and looked at Impa to ask, "It was a story about Boemith, and I wanted to know something. There's a coat of arms inside of the book on the front page of a Kingdom, one of the symbols is of your people, the other is a sailboat with two crossed swords over it. What Kingdom does that belong to?"

Impa didn't have to think about it, simply saying, "Ah, yes, the Kingdom of Althor."

That answer surprised the Princess a little, "Althor? What a strange coincidence."

"How so?" Impa asked curiously.

Zelda waved her hand as she stepped back a bit, explaining to her mentor, "Oh, we were discussing Althor last night at dinner. They're going to send their Ambassador in a few weeks more than likely, along with his consorts and their crowned prince in order to discuss the relationship between our kingdoms."

"I see. That _is_ a strange coincidence," Impa replied, considering the oddness of it

"You mean Prince Risek?"

The second voice had come from the other handmaiden in the room, a young woman by the name of Keesa. It drew their attention, and the young lady looked fairly curious.

Zelda nodded her head in response as she looked at the young lady, "Yes, that was his name."

"Oh, I've heard about him," Keesa replied. "They call him the Stone Prince, or something along those lines," she snickered softly.

Zelda couldn't help herself with the mention of the title, asking, "Why do they call him that?"

"Oh," Keesa started, lifting a hand as she explained, "something about his demeanor. Well, I've only heard from some friends I know who attended school in Althor, but according to them, he's apparently very handsome and has a wonderful smile, thought he never uses it. They said he's a fairly austere man, but he's kind so he doesn't come off as cold."

Zelda found herself very tempted to ask Keesa a bit more about the kingdom to see if she knew, or just their Prince at least, but she knew that it was simply hearsay and might not be trustable information. Before she could think to say anything however, Impa waved a hand, commenting, "Let's not start to spread rumors, shall we? For all we know, he could arrive and perform in the ballet. So for now, don't fill Princess Zelda's head with gossip."

"I'm sorry, ma'am," Keesa replied, looking contrite, and Impa just patted her shoulder, smiling a little smile.

"It's alright." Telling Keesa this, Impa then turned to her Princess and asked, "Zelda, you found the books I asked you to?"

"I did," she nodded, "they're on the table." She knew what Impa was going to say, so she looked over at Keesa and asked the young woman to take them, then she asked Impa, "Are we going to the Gardens to study today?"

It was a sunny day outside, and much warmer than it had been, so Zelda apparently thought that their studies might be taken there. But Impa - also in on the secret of her birthday party, which was being set up there currently - shook her head no and replied, "Actually, I'd thought to take our lessons to the courtyard, I've made a slight change in the topic of study, and the courtyard would offer much more room."

"Oh? What change?"

"You'll see when we get there," Impa told the inquisitive Princess with a quaint smile. "It's something I realized we haven't touched much on."

With a nod, Zelda decided she would simply have to see, and she went to the door with the three ladies following her, then began to walk down the hallway. In the effort of waiting to find out what was going to be under discussion for her training that morning, she thought of something else to speak about, and asked while they traveled down the corridor, avoiding a few servants who were making their rounds on the way there, "So tell me Impa, how did the symbol of the Sheikah wind up on the crest of another Kingdom? I thought they originated from here."

"Well the Sheikah are native to Hyrule, this is true," Impa started, stepping down the corridor and to the stairwell with Zelda, "however we have a few exploits in other kingdoms also. A long time ago, some of our people traveled to the lands that became Althor, and helped to overcome some type of devastation. This aide resulted in the king placing our symbol combined with theirs on their coat of arms."

It made sense, and Zelda gave Impa a nod of understanding. Once they made it to the stairs, Zelda started in with another question while her mentor listened, "So, I wonder why Althor's coat of arms was on a book about the dragon Boemith. Is it because of all of the traveling Althor has done?"

Impa gave a sage nod of her head, her booted feet hitting the landing of the stairs in time with the ladies accompanying her before she pushed the door open for Zelda, then let Jada take it, whom held it for Keesa. Her response as they went was, "Yes. Their Kingdom has a powerful force on land, but that force is nothing compared to its navy. They're masters in that arena, and their travels have allowed their scholars to collect information from all over the world and put them into books for everyone to read. The stories they've amassed are quite extensive, so the crest was probably just to denote where the book came from, and that it was approved for publication by their royal scholars."

Zelda looked genuinely surprised as they walked through the large foyer that would lead them to the courtyard, saying, "They must have some very nice schools as well then."

"That they do," Impa nodded, adding, "Hadinaru's mentor was a scholar from Althor, and I believe your mother attended a school there for a short time as well."

Appreciating the talk, especially with the thought in mind of what was to come from the Kingdom under short discussion, Zelda informed Impa, "You'll have to tell me more. I would really like to know all about them that I can since Father is accepting their request to reopen our relations."

Impa had heard of that from Myriad, and she nodded as they stepped out onto the catwalk that led to the steps heading down into the courtyard. Once outside, she watched as Zelda past her and then her two handmaidens, and, shutting the door again, Impa reached for the books that Keesa carried with her. Thanking the young lady, she went down the steps and toward the fountain, and Zelda followed in behind her.

Jada also went with them, taking a seat on the fountain as Zelda stepped beside of it next to Impa, looking up at the white haired Sheikah who was inherently a bit taller than the Princess. The lesson for the day began, and it would be interesting to see how far Zelda could get in it.

Jada enjoyed watching the lessons herself, always found it interesting and even amazing what Zelda could do. She'd seen some of those feats before, though not on the same scale, and Jada knew that the Princess's prowess had increased a good bit over the past few months. Today's lesson was no different, that of the duplication of items, creating short term illusions. Impa started out with something simple - the books they had - explaining that she didn't want Zelda to focus on the theme of the book or what was in it, simply wanted her to create a superficial duplication that everyone could see. Impa also explained that once Zelda had practiced enough, she'd be able to duplicate the book not just superficially, but also word for word inside of the pages.

It took a certain skill and several years of practice to reach that level however, and before the lesson was over, Zelda had not only created a duplicate of Impa which vanished after a few moments, but also one of herself and of Jada, which made the handmaiden grin while she covered her mouth with a soft snicker. Zelda's duplications were marginally off however, certain items such as the broach that Jada wore not being in place, or the cuffs of the sleeves being off. Still, to be able to duplicate a person was very good progress, and Impa commended her pupil on a job well done.

Each of Impa's lessons ended with a short discussion over the skills learned, and this one was no different. Zelda learned that, if someone was practiced enough at that art, they could use that power as a distraction in the lines of defense - or more malevolently could set up an innocent person. Zelda had to learn the uses of her powers just as all students of the magical arts did, as well as the consequences of using them. Until she'd passed Impa's approval, Zelda wouldn't be allowed to try to perform the tricks on her own. Doing so had resulted in the expulsion of students from studies and more than likely always would.

Once they were done discussing it, Impa left her with the promise to see her again soon, asking Keesa if she would perform the task of returning Zelda's books to her room for her. The raven haired Hylian agreed and walked up the steps behind Impa to perform the task, and Zelda had a seat on the edge of the fountain for a rest after telling Impa goodbye. Jada scooted closer to her, and sensing the movement, the Hylian Princess looked over and smiled at her.

"I feel as if I'm boring you sometimes, Jada."

"Oh no, not at all, Zelda," Jada shook her head, "I find it all very interesting. I know Tenio has some skill with this type of thing, and even though he's tried to teach me I just can't get a grasp of it. I suppose my powers lie within the tangible world. That's how he put it anyway."

Zelda smiled at Jada, slowly nodding, "Some can and some cannot I suppose. But you're not Hylian, so maybe you can, just not what a Hylian like myself or Tenio could do."

Jada thought about that, wondering if perhaps Zelda had a point there. Though, Jada didn't specifically feel the need to know magics, she simply got curious from time to time. Pushing the thought from her head however, she simply shrugged a shoulder and told Zelda, "Well, maybe one day I'll learn something. But until then, I'm just a handmaiden."

Both ladies softly snickered, and once the little jest had been made, Jada went on and asked, "So what are your plans for today, my lady?"

Zelda thought about that, sighing a soft breath. It was growing very close to lunchtime when her lessons with Impa had been completed, and had Link been about, she would have asked to take some lunch to him since her father was preparing correspondence and her mother was busy speaking with several ladies who had recently been taken on as school teachers for a few young children in Hyrule Town. But since Link wasn't about, she had an hour that was free, and she had no clue what she wanted to do until her next errand on the day's agenda had to be performed.

"Well, I'm a little hungry. I was considering eating a bite or two and maybe taking my books out to read."

Jada nodded her head, but she knew, as Link had told her, that Zelda would likely try to adjourn to the gardens to read them. So she had to do something now to get her mind off of it, and she already had a few good ideas to accomplish the task. "If you're free, you could come with me to see Bessa. She has bought some new materials and she was excited. I think she'd like your opinion on them."

"Oh?" Zelda asked, and - not that she didn't enjoy reading - the prospect sounded good to her. After all, she had the feeling that any time alone might depress her a little bit with missing a certain Hylian Knight. Besides, she wanted to spend some time with a friend anyway, and Jada was just that to her.

"What kinds of materials?" Zelda asked curiously.

Hearing the question, Jada smiled for two reasons, the first being that she had become an adept seamstress and so she had a love for that particular topic. The second one was due to the fact that Zelda's mother, while actually speaking with the teachers, had in secret taken them along with a few of the child students to the gardens to prepare for Zelda's party the next day. Nissandra had thought that it would be enjoyable for the children to help with something fun like a birthday party, and she put them to the task of making little gifts, or helping to decorate with streamers and the like. So getting Zelda's attention on the material was definitely a good thing.

In response, she told her Princess, "A few vividly colors silks and some patterned materials too, but I don't remember what they were made of right now."

"Hmm, they sound lovely. I think it would be better than reading alone." Zelda informed her before she sighed softly. Once she had, she considered her slight dejection and looked over at her friend, "Jada, might I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Right now, do you miss Tenio even though he's coming back this evening?"

Jada wasn't sure why Zelda asked the question exactly, but it she didn't mind at all and nodded, "I do. I'm glad he's not gone for a week this time though. I usually miss him when he's away for any period of time however, even if it's just a day and he's tired and falls straight to sleep when he comes home. Why do you ask?"

The words made Zelda feel better, and with a wave of her hand, she said, "I was thinking about Link. Sometimes I wonder if it's normal for me to miss him as much as I do. I'll get to see him again tomorrow, I know that much, but I don't feel as if tomorrow can get here fast enough. I was starting to think I was just being very silly over it all. I mean we _did_ get to spend all of the evening together yesterday."

Jada smiled over the comment, then she shook her head, "I don't think it's unwarranted at all. Yesterday was the first evening you two had alone together in how long now?"

"A little over a week."

"See," Jada told her softly, "and I know that before that had been a while also. You both have so much to do right now. It's not bad that you miss him so much even when he's only gone for one day. I think you just miss him anyway."

Zelda smiled genuinely, turning her eyes to Jada and nodding, "Thank you. That really does make me feel better. I know he misses me too, but sometimes I get the feeling I'm being a bit," she waved a hand while trying to think for the proper word, "clingy maybe?"

"Well I don't see that. It's not as if you're asking to see him around every corner and skirting your chores to do so."

"Can I be honest?" Zelda asked, and when Jada nodded her head, Zelda smiled and admitted, "I've thought about it."

The admission made both girls start snickering, and they heard a third voice not long after they'd began making the sounds. "What's so funny?"

Keesa had come back from helping Impa to return their supplies to the proper places, and she sat down on the opposite side of Zelda. Looking over at her, Zelda simply said, "We were just talking about Link and Tenio, and how we miss them."

Keesa smiled, the black haired Hylian replying, "Oh, I see. You're both lucky. I still haven't found anyone to court me yet."

With those words, Zelda and Jada both gave her a look that said they were a bit confused. Keesa also became confused when she spied the expressions, and asked them, "What?"

Zelda looked at Jada, then back to the handmaiden who'd asked the question and shook her head, "What about Doyle?"

"The Knight?"

"Yes," Zelda nodded in reply."

"What...about him?" Keesa asked in even more confusion.

"He likes you!," Zelda informed her. "Didn't you know that?"

"No!," Keesa replied, going a bit wide eyed and turning to face them more. "How can you tell!?"

"The way he looks at you, and always asks how you're doing," Jada piped up.

"The way he smiles whenever you show up," Zelda added.

Keesa looked completely floored by the comments, having been oblivious. She'd never noticed any sort of thing herself, and she waved her hand at them both, "But he's a Knight!"

"A very handsome Knight," Zelda amended for her with Jada's nodded agreement. "So what's wrong with being a Knight?"

"Well, he's," Keesa couldn't figure out how to put it, then she shook her head. "Yes, he's very handsome, and he's a Knight, but..."

They watched her trailing off and looking down in thought over her words. "Oh," Jada began whenever Keesa couldn't seem to figure out what she wanted to say, both she and Zelda starting to get the picture. "You never thought anything as good would come to you so you never really noticed his attempts to get your attention because you thought they didn't mean anything special."

Zelda smiled and patted Keesa's arm, asking in addition, "How do you feel about him?"

Keesa blushed, the look all Zelda needed to see, and as the handmaiden tilted her head down, she shrugged, "I don't know."

"She likes him," Jada said softly with a smile and watched as Keesa sighed loudly as if it embarrassed her to admit it.

"Yes, I like him," she admitted, "I just didn't consider anything to be returned like you said." Looking over at the two ladies, she asked softly, "Do you think he really does like me?"

They both nodded at her in unison, making the vote fairly unanimous. Jada felt the biggest urge to tell her that tomorrow evening would be a good chance to talk to Doyle since Zelda's party would include everyone's attendance more than likely, but she had to keep quiet for now. Deciding that, when Zelda wasn't about, she could do so, she stood up from where they'd been sitting and started, "Well, let's go get something to eat and talk about it. Once we're finished, we can go look at those materials Bessa bought."

"That sounds like a good idea," Zelda nodded and went to stand up herself. Once she had, she looked down at Keesa - who was a little unused to being invited to eat with her mistress, but Zelda was a somewhat unconventional Princess, and Keesa somehow appreciated it - waiting for her to stand and go with them both.

Once she'd done so, they began walking toward the doors and Zelda allowed Keesa to open them for her, not that she couldn't do so herself, but Zelda did realize the need to follow a certain set of standards between social classes. She'd already been told on several occasions by a few of the old Hylian nobles that a Princess should be waited on, even with a task as simple as opening a door, and Zelda had found it a good bit ridiculous that someone would throw such a fuss over something so simple.

But, in order to appease some people, and keep things from getting out of hand over something so silly as she considered it to be, she just let the maidens perform their duties. Still, Zelda had to wonder, as she'd considered doing before, when a mundane, everyday task such as opening a door on her own could have been considered rebellious against the system. The thought made her grin, especially when she saw herself in her mind opening and closing a door behind some of the old noble's backs to spite them. That was definitely a mental image to share with Link later. She could hear him laughing already.

She also needed to stop missing him. It was getting ridiculous.

Maybe she should arrange for her kidnaping to Kakariko. It would give the writer of the Lon Lon Herald something to do anyway. The headlines would be amusing as well. She considered the paper and the amusing headline it might have had on it over such a thing when she was offered one by a servant as she walked into the dining room with her handmaidens. She took it with a thank you, often enjoying going over what the articles said with the girls on random occasions. The front cover of the three folded papers was no different today either, taking her seat and reading the cover.

"White riders spotted in Hyrule Fields."

"What?," Jada asked as she sat down and unfolded a napkin over her lap.

"The headline on the front page," Zelda explained. Then she read some of the article aloud. "Several people traversing Lon Lon Ranch recently have been abuzz about riders spotted on the fields of the Kingdom. The spottings so far have been between the villages of Engleton and Kakariko, suggesting they have yet to travel to the north and may hail from somewhere southerly. What makes this interesting is that anyone who has claimed to see one of these riders all claim to have only spied them at far off distances. Sometimes only one is seen, and others say there is a group of three or more. But no one knows for certain as these ghostly riders have all disappeared before anyone can get close to them. Are they apparitions or just figments of imagination?"

Jada and Keesa listened closely, and as Keesa added some sugar to her tea cup, beginning to stir it, and then offered to fill Zelda's, who accepted with a thank you, she replied to the article, "That just sounds completely ridiculous. Someone's simply trying to stir up rumors so the papers will sell more."

Zelda, with a smile on her face while she settled the paper onto the table, replied, "Well, I can't complain if it stimulates business for reading and gets people interested. As long as such rumors don't get so far out of hand that it has to be handled in Court, that is."

"I agree," Jada nodded, her voice soft, lifting a tray of sweet rolls to offer Zelda one, "little white lies shouldn't hurt too much."

Continuing on with their reading and lunch, Zelda decided that if there was any merit to the rumors in the paper, they would come to light soon enough. Though, she had to admit that she was curious about it. White Riders? What could they have wanted, saying they existed? Who were they? Perhaps, if she remembered to, she'd ask Link if he'd heard anything through his travels. After all, he was supposed to head to Engleton first today, and then back and toward Lon Lon Ranch before taking the pass of the Zora River to River Town in order to barter for supplies for the Knights.

The locations were fairly spread out from one another, which was the reason he'd be gone for most of the day, and probably not make it back until after dark. Zelda could only imagine that, by this time, he was just leaving Engleton, so if he would hear anything about the topic, it would be close to now. Maybe he'd see a few of these riders himself as well. Who knew?

But the ladies didn't concentrate on the topic much besides that, continuing on with both the paper and their talk they'd been having beforehand in the courtyard.


	5. Typical Day

_Chapter 4 - Typical Day_

Late afternoon was upon them when the sign of Lon Lon Ranch came into their view. The three horses riding across the fields after leaving Engleton earlier carried their masters whom were all dressed in the clothing of the Hylian Knights. The outfits - when out in the field on simple missions such at this one - consisted of red jerkins and chainmail with white tunics beneath them. One of them wore a windsock however, though that wasn't something untypical.

Frost was ahead of the other two, carrying Link swiftly, having always had a good bit of speed behind him, something Link learned about the horse when chased with Zelda from Roshala Village one day by, oddly enough, the companion he had with him now - Arden. Epona, on the other hand, might not have been as fast, but she was a bit more easy to handle, Link had realized, since Frost was, in fact, a stallion, and had a few tendencies to do his own thing from time to time.

As the three Knights rode along, Arden's horse was slowed due to a cart attacked to his own steeds saddle which was carrying supplies in it. Each time the Knights stopped in a village, they switched around which horse took the cart to give the other animals a rest, and it was Arden's large black stallion's turn now. Tenio, riding somewhat between the two, was on a speckled filly of white and black, his horse having been the last one to haul in the wheel device behind it. But all three of them felt relief to see that they'd arrived at their second destination, which meant Frost would be carrying the cart on the longest part of the journey once they left the ranch they'd just arrived at.

Neither one of the Knights completely relished the task of delivering, as well as picking up, goods from different places. Such a task had fallen to guards and soldiers before, but being that there was a higher need for deliveries in the current time as well as a slight shortage on helping hands, the tasks fell to all under Hyrule's crown. Arden hoped that would change in a few days though since Court was to be held, and likely there would be more people rallied to the causes.

But Lon Lon Ranch was a welcome sight nonetheless. They'd be able to take a short reprieve in their saloon, and the three of them looked forward to such a break after riding so much. It'd been several years since Link had traveled to Lon Lon, the last time being when he was living with the Gerudo with the amnesia he'd suffered from taking a devastating fall as a child. His surrogate mother, Nabooru, had been with him then, and thought of the redheaded lady made him smile. The Gerudo had really lent a huge helping hand with Hyrule's restoration, and Nabooru was, at current, back in the desert with her people, having promised to travel to visit as soon as she had things there settled down.

For now though, Link's mind went onto his current tasks, riding through the gates that led up and into the large ranch. The place was settled inside of tall walls upon a hilltop, and was almost a small village because of its size and the number of people who commonly frequented it. They hosted a saloon, an inn, and several other buildings that were used for different reasons, such as storage and housing as well, making it a popular location for visiting.

Frost slowed down to a stop and so did Arden and Tenio's mounts, and in turn, each Knight took in a breath that they sighed out softly. One by one, they dismounted, and when Link did, he caught the glimpse of a white blur of feathers fluttering up from his feet as a chicken he'd almost stepped on scattered away from him. Seeing the bird, he cringed and shook his head, hearing Arden who'd apparently witnessed the scene commenting on it.

"What is it with you and chickens anyway, kid?"

Grumbling, Link walked over to the cart and avoided any of the other birds pecking around at the dirt that he could, and he explained, "They're evil and I only like them for breakfast."

Arden stared at Link in confusion while he and Tenio untied the supplies settled on the back of the cart, and then he waved his hand, "Hold on. You, Hero of Legend, savior of Hyrule, the one who defeated Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm, is afraid of...chickens?"

"I'm not _afraid_ of them," Link grumbled, giving Arden a look that said he was annoyed by the thought. "I just don't like them, and they don't like me. It's perfectly understood between the two of us."

Tenio started chuckling softly, unable to help himself, the words just reminding him of the story he'd heard. Link lifted a brow at the usually straight faced Hylian when he heard the sound. "What's so funny?"

In an attempt to keep from offending his Hylian friend, Tenio cleared his throat and helped him to pull out a somewhat heavy barrel which contained several tools. The barrel itself was marked with the Lon Lon Ranch insignia, tipping off that it had been supplied to Engleton beforehand by the ranch and was just being returned now. Once it was settled on the grass beneath their feet, Tenio stood back up straight and shook his head, "Nothing. Zelda just told me the whole story."

"For the love of Nayru," Link grumbled out and turned to walk back to the cart with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"What happened?" Arden asked.

"Apparently," Tenio started in explanation as Link walked back to the cart, looking up at his commander, "he was trampled by a flock as a child for trying to pull out their feathers to make arrows, I believe she said."

"It was completely innocent and I didn't deserve it," Link interjected as he tugged a small crate from the back of the cart. Then, settling the heavy item down with a grunt, he went on, "Let's just get this done, okay?"

"Well aren't you cheerful," Arden replied with a shake of his head. Heading toward the cart again with him, he added, "Must have a lady friend you're eager to get back home to."

Shaking his head over the teasing about Zelda and his dislike for the flightless birds that were randomly making their way past on the ground now, Link informed Arden, "That could be it, but we've been riding all day, I'm starting to get hungry, there's chickens everywhere, and we're all armed. I'll let you do the math."

Arden couldn't help his chuckling and Tenio, who was usually so straight faced, was grinning. Link just stared at them with his lips pursed, brows flat over his eyes. Link just grinned while he grabbed another barrel that belonged to the ranch, and tugged it out of the cart. Their mirth began to die down just a bit while they worked, and in turn, each of them noticed something similar. Tenio was the one to comment on it.

"It seems quiet today."

Link nodded in agreement, looking up to see only one person making their way down the road and into one of the buildings that had a sign which said 'Lon Lon Inn' over it. Once they'd disappeared, he added, "You're right. I would have expected someone to come out by now and ask what was happening. I wonder where everyone is."

"They're probably staying at home for now because of the rumors going around."

The voice had come from a somewhat older lady, probably somewhere in her fifties, with a thin figure and whitening hair that was tied into a bun at the nape of her neck. The three Knights turned around to look over at her, and they all knew who she was - the wife of the ranch owner, an man named Ormin.

Hearing her words as she stepped over to them with a kind smile, she asked, "How are you gentleman?"

"We're fine, Lady Cora," Arden told her, turning to face her once he'd settled a crate onto the rest of the things they'd unpacked, completely done with that task now. "We had a smooth ride here. We just need to find your husband so we can put these things away for him. Do you know where he is right now?"

Cora nodded in understanding, and she waved her hand, saying, "He's at the saloon, or was. If he's not there, then chances are he went to go see Ezim."

Ezim, Ormin's brother, was the writer of the Lon Lon Herald. After Cora explained this, Arden nodded in his understanding and gave her the words, "I see. Is he busy?"

"Oh, not really, simply using his free time to tie up a few matters unrelated to business," the sweet woman replied.

With the news, the Knights knew that it would probably be sooner rather than later that they could leave Lon Lon in order to head to River Town and finish their business for the day, and in curiosity over what Cora had spoken of about rumors, Link asked her to explain. "Lady Cora, what kind of rumors are keeping people at home? It must be bad if it's _this_ quiet around here."

"I know, much different than just a few days ago." Cora nodded in agreement, "It's the article Ezim put in the herald."

"What article is that?"

"The one about the White Riders. Have you read it?" Cora asked him.

In turn, the Knights all exchanged somewhat confused glances, and then they looked back at the lady talking to them. "No, we haven't had a chance to," Link told her. "What are White Riders?"

Cora looked between them when he asked the question, then explained what it was all about. "Well, some people have claimed to see these White Riders in Hyrule's fields recently. I think it has them spooked because, if it's true, then no one knows who they are or what they want. From what I've heard, the spottings are always distant, and the riders are gone before anyone can identify them." Cora suddenly chuckled, her smile sweet, "Here I thought it would take a few weeks to get rumors and ghost stories started again when the King and Queen took the throne. I suppose I was wrong."

Link smiled over the comment, knowing how people liked their chatter in the face of boredom, deciding that everyone had probably been too busy up until recently to really get a rumor like that started. It made him think of older times however, when he was a child in Kakariko and how everyone liked to talk about what they'd heard in the evenings around the dinner table. Gossip would always be fairly popular - it just got bad when everyone started thinking the stories were true and they weren't. For that matter, he decided, it got even worse when people believed they were lies and they weren't. That put people at a much bigger risk for danger if it was something they really needed to know the honesty of.

"White riders," Tenio started through Link's thoughts, "I suppose something unknown like that would be enough to keep the people at bay."

"But until we have proof," Arden started, giving Tenio his attention, "we shouldn't spread these rumors further. Let the Herald do that, and try not to pass any word of it on for now."

Tenio nodded in his agreement over that assessment, and when he did, Link, who'd just decided to listen to Arden as well, changed the subject and stepped forward, asking, "How long has Ormin been at the Saloon?"

"Maybe half an hour," Cora told him. "You might be able to catch him if you'd like to go let him know you've returned the Ranch's supplies."

Arden gave a nod and looked over at Link and Tenio, "You two go to the saloon, and I'll see what I can do with them here for now."

"Yes sir," the Hylians told their superior, and Link looked over at Tenio with a motion of his head to get going. Turning, the silver haired Hylian started walking with him, and as they moved, Cora smiled up at Arden, apparently undaunted by the man's size and burly features.

"They're such nice lads," she commented once they'd left.

Arden, ever the jester when it came to dry humor, asked, "And I'm not?"

The comment had Cora snickering, and she patted his arm with the promise of offering cookies to them before they left, which was a typical thing for the lady to do. Despite his gruff nature, Arden had to grin over the offer, knowing not many petite women such as herself would ever get along with him so well as Cora had seemed to from the very beginning.

While they had their little chat, Link and Tenio continued on to their destination. The saloon wasn't too far away, just down an adjacent road, and once they reached the swinging doors beneath the sign that named the establishment, Tenio pushed them open and let Link inside first. Cora was right about everyone staying home it seemed, a thought that Link had when he saw the condition of the place which was, easily to say, empty. Tenio commented on the same thought when he walked inside behind his friend.

"I really need to read that article, if people are avoiding going out like _this_."

Shaking his head as he walked over to the bar with Tenio, Link said, "Well, you know how some people can be. They like to make mountains out of mole hills for no reason sometimes. I think it's just because they're bored and need something to entertain themselves honestly."

Tenio agreed with a nod of his head as they stepped over near the stools, watching as one of the only two people in the bar - both of which worked there - stood up straight from having stooped over just before the Knights had entered. The somewhat rotund, balding man who was shining a shot glass, blinked, "Oh, I thought I heard someone talking. Knights from the Palace, eh? What can I get for you good men?"

Tenio shrugged at the bartender's question, simply replying, "I'm not thirsty myself."

"Milk," Link told the man after his friend had spoken, and the request - not a typical one for a bar - got the employee to choke a slight bit in surprise.

The bartender looked over at Link with a raised brow for the peculiar choice, and Link just gave him a look that said he couldn't have been more serious. So the bartender shrugged and poured him a glass, then slid it down the bar to him. Taking it into his hand and lifting it, Link said, "Thanks. Have you seen Ormin around?"

"Earlier," the balding man replied, taking another glass to shine it when the doors to the bar opened again. Link and Tenio looked over, thinking it could have been the owner they were looking for, but it was just a man with a brown rimmed hat on his head who tilted it respectfully and walked toward one of the tables to have a seat. Seeing that it wasn't Ormin, Link heard the bartender adding to his previous statement, "He said he'd be right back though, so take a seat, get comfortable. He wanted to talk to his brother and it shouldn't take too long."

"Thank you," Tenio told the man, pulling out a stool to do as had been suggested to them. Once the two of them were both settled, Tenio looked over at Link while he was taking a gulp of his milk and asked, "So what do you think about this White Riders story?"

"I don't know, I think I'd have to read the papers first."

"That's true," Tenio nodded, settling a hand on the bar counter while he waited and continued the idle conversation. "Fish tales more than likely."

"It's not a fish tale," came a voice from the man who'd just sat down at a table in the saloon and ordered a drink from the barmaid. Tenio and Link both looked back when those words were spoken, and watched as the white haired man turned to face them. "I thought the same thing myself," he went on, "but I saw them just this morning. They're real, though I do agree that it's been blown out of proportion. For all I could tell, it was just a band of riders and nothing more. Could have been anyone."

The two Hylians exchanged a somewhat scrutinizing glance before giving him their attention again. "But you saw someone?" Link asked.

"That I did." The man pulled his hat from his head in wait of his drink, his ears just as pointed as theirs were, and he looked at them with a polite smile on his face. "My name's Lindon. I have a small farm east of here where I live with my wife. To be honest, I didn't want to tell anyone about it, because everyone thinks it's either a fish tale or a bad omen. I thought it might cause some trouble."

"Then why are you telling us now?" Tenio asked.

With a shrug, the older Hylian said in response, "No one else is around and I thought I'd start some conversation," Lindon smiled. "I hope I haven't bothered you."

Link and Tenio both guessed that was as good of a reason as any to tell someone about it. Deciding to humor the fellow, they continued to speak with him. "No," Tenio shook his head. "We've got some free time until the owner arrives."

Nodding, Lindon asked, "Would you like to join me until then?"

Seeing as there really was nothing else to do, the two Hylians got up from their stools and agreed, walking over to the table in order to have a seat. Pulling out their chairs and settling down again, the barmaid came over with a mug that was steaming, and Lindon thanked her. He was drinking coffee, and he took some cream she'd also brought him and poured a little bit in. Once the two Knights had seated themselves, he began to speak again.

"The way I figure, it's only in the paper because a lot of people decided to make up stories. I don't think everyone who claims to have seen them actually have. Most just want attention I'd wager."

"That's possible," Link commented in agreement as he set his glass back down. He looked over at Lindon curiously then and asked, "What happened when you saw them?"

"I was taking my horse to feed her," Lindon started, "And they popped up out of the blue really. I didn't hear any sounds like a lot of people have claimed, I also didn't see a spark of light. I just saw something glinting in the sun near the distant trees, and if I hadn't spotted it, I wouldn't have even seen them at all."

Tenio thought about that while Link sipped his milk, and had to ask, "Then what happened? Did they vanish?"

"Nah, they rode off," Lindon replied with a wave of his hand. "Another reason I wanted to let you know this is because of what you are. You boys being Royal Knights, I thought it'd be best incase you hear some _real_ fish tales. After all, no one needs to confuse the truth. But the whole thing does have me slightly worried."

"About what?," Link asked.

It was then that Lindon sighed, then shrugged his shoulders slightly while staring down at his mug of coffee, "Well, seeing them so close to my home, and everyone wondering just who they are. I didn't really want to come here today, but I decided to show some good faith in that nothing's wrong."

With a nod of his head, Link finished his milk off and then looked over at the farmer sitting with them. That made sense, and Link was glad that some people could think rationally, instead of following sensationalism as it were. "There's really no reason to believe whoever it is might be dangerous, so you're right, and you _did_ say they rode off. For all we know, the same people you saw are the ones who started the rumor."

Lindon started chuckling, and with a nod of his head, he told them both, "You're right. That's probably what's going on. Still, you do get paranoid seeing something unknown like that, especially after the chaos this kingdom went through not so long ago. That probably just adds to people's skepticism."

Link nodded in complete understanding. It wasn't all that surprising, when put like that, to see how empty the place was and that many had chosen to stay in their homes out of uncertainty. But they'd probably be out before nightfall, realizing it was silly to stay in one place when there wasn't an actual danger present. Link handed his glass to the barmaid with the thought in mind, refusing another milk when she offered it before the doors to the saloon opened again. He looked up, seeing the owner walking into the area, Ormin a somewhat rotund man with white hair and spectacles on his face.

Apparently the man had already run into Arden as he didn't seem to be surprised in spotting the Knights in his saloon, greeting them, "Ah, there you are, good afternoon. I just found your superior, and we're putting the things away now. He told me to finish my business here so I could come fetch you both to help."

Tenio nodded, saying, "Thank you, Ormin."

Nodding, Ormin went walked into the saloon to do as he'd suggested and finish his business there before getting everything put away. Tenio and Link stood while the man did so, and Link reached out to shake Lindon's hand. "It was good to meet you, Lindon. Maybe we'll see you again sometime."

Lindon nodded his head with a polite smile. "That we may. I'll look forward to it. You're always welcome if you need some shelter or a place to stay on my farm."

"We'll remember that," Tenio replied with a smiling nod. "Take care of yourself."

"That I will, thank you!"

Link and Tenio both gave their welcomes before they left. The man seemed trustworthy enough, and Link considered it as he went to the doors to finish the work they'd come to the ranch to perform. It wouldn't take too long with as quiet as everything was, so that was a relief, but leaving Lon Lon was going to be the longest part of their journey. It was a long way up the pass of the Zora River after all. But once they left, Link knew the long ride would be made a little more bearable with the plans for the coming birthday party in mind.

He'd expressed his fears to Tenio beforehand that Zelda was going to figure out something was up. Link sincerely hoped she didn't because she'd done a fairly good job of hiding his own surprise party and he wanted her to be just as startled as he'd been. It probably helped though that Zelda was expecting a small party to be had, she just didn't know all of the details.

A few hours later, Link and Tenio made a bet. If Zelda figured out there was a surprise party being thrown for her, he had to clean the stables for a week. Not that Tenio had any doubts in Link's ability to pull it all off, but Zelda was one of the more inquisitive people he'd ever met, and she would likely, as far as he could see, stumble across the information of the part without even meaning to.

Likewise, if Zelda didn't figure it out, Tenio had to clean them, and all the while, Arden could only wonder why they didn't just bet for rupees. Though Arden had to admit, since cleaning the stables was usually a squire's job, and there were none about currently, the chance to get out of the chore for a week was definitely a good one.

Evening began to draw upon them and a good bit into the night before the riders returned to the Palace. After settling their horses in the stables, Link went to check on Epona, who seemed a bit more affectionate than usual, probably because he hadn't ridden her in a while. As he rubbed her nose, he considered that it seemed like there were two ladies who might've missed him, and once he'd given Epona a bit of attention, he yawned and turned to head toward the Palace and his chambers, his thoughts settling on the second of the two.

She was probably already asleep, so he wouldn't be able to go say hello like he would've wanted to. Instead of waking her, he headed to his chamber and opened the door, shutting it behind himself before looking at the bed that was neatly made and folded down for him. While not as big in comparison to Zelda's, Link had more than enough space in his room to be comfortable. In fact, he almost felt it was too much room for just him.

Link didn't have many decorations outside of a few pictures on the wall near the dresser that the son of a fellow Knight had drawn for him. The little boy always called him Wink because he couldn't properly pronounce his 'L's' just yet, and every time he did, if Zelda heard it, she started snickering because it sounded so cute.

Link laid back on his sheets with the thoughts in mind. Having just finished cleaning up at the washbasin and removing his clothing to change into a pair of pants he could sleep in, he rested his head against the pillows and shut his eyes while thinking about this. It'd been a typical day for him, and he was more than ready to let his mind wander over little instances such as what the boy called him and how Zelda reacted to it which had no greater value in the grand scheme of the world.

But the last thought he'd had before he drifted off to bed was to be glad that tomorrow was finally about to arrive. Not only were they going to have a good bit of fun, but Link could actually relax for once without any duties tied to him. Well, except keeping the party a secret until afternoon when it was going to start. But that shouldn't have been a problem at all. Impa was going to keep Zelda's attention until it was time, and if there was one thing that Impa could do well, it was sneak.

He had a feeling Tenio was going to wish he'd never made that bet.


	6. Party

_Chapter 5 - Party_

The white quill pen was scribbled against the paper, forming the letters of words being written upon it. Once the ink on the tip dried out, the pen was lifted and dipped into the well once more. Myriad drew the lines out in a calligraphic style that gave the Hylian handwriting a very elegant look, her blue eyes carefully watching the strokes she made when she heard the door to her chambers opening behind her while she worked so diligently. But she didn't let it distract her from what she was concentrating on however, not a single space across her paper jarred while she continued writing.

Lyonel moved toward her, looking the pages over without interrupting, reading the words in the tome she was working on. It was a book she was writing that told more of the events of her life, particularly focused on that of the Sacred Realm and her experiences there, and when Lyonel read the last word of the sentence she was putting onto the page before she stuck the quill back into the ink well and let it rest there, he spoke to her.

"Working on your tome again, I see."

Smiling, Myriad turned in her seat and lifted her legs to the side before she pushed herself up, facing her husband with a nod of her head. "I am. I managed to finish my errands for the day early, so I thought I'd take a little time to do so."

"Ah," Lyonel nodded, then gave her an inquisitive look, "did you have something suddenly given to you?"

As he could recall, Myriad didn't have much of anything to do that day, so he was curious over what she might've done, waiting on her answer, which was to say, "Yes, Hadinaru decided to send word to Althor early. Since he and Nissandra have absolute power currently, and he didn't want question brought up in the Courts as to why Althor didn't offer us aide during Ganondorf's reign - since it's blatantly obvious why they didn't - and he asked me earlier to have the message sent along with the other things going out. So I had to perform that task."

"I see," Lyonel told her in understanding, "then message should reach them fairly soon now."

Myriad took his hand and smiled as she folded her fingers around his palm, "I'm hoping so. It's a definite step in the right direction. So, in other matters," she went on, "did you come to retrieve me for Zelda's party?"

Lyonel gave her a nod and smiled at her, "They're gathering everyone now. Impa has Zelda preoccupied for the time being in the library, so we should probably make haste."

Myriad smirked and held out her arm to be escorted properly. The motion made Lyonel smile, and once he took it and they began to walk, she let him open the door before she asked, "Where's Link?"

"Already in the gardens awaiting our arrival."

Myriad nodded over the answer, allowing Lyonel to lead her along while she continued the conversation, thinking about the gardens now. "I was surprised at how nicely those children decorated them for the party. I'll wager they had a good bit of fun. You know how Nissandra can be when it comes to children. Zelda's sure to be extremely surprised by this all. I haven't even heard her mentioning her birthday once now, so she's likely just thinking she'll head to dinner later for what her parents told her they had planned."

Lyonel made a little grin as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "I think we did a good job of keeping the secret considering her predilection for visiting the gardens so often. No doubt that habit had her parents, and Link since he was so looking forward to this surprise, pulling their hair out."

Nodding her head with a soft chuckle, Myriad stepped down the stairs with him, clutching her skirt in her hand to keep from tripping over the white garment which was edged in a light blue satin. Finding their way around toward the back of the castle where the gardens were located through the large glass doors of the ballroom and stepping outside into the afternoon light, Myriad saw several people looking over at them. The faces were all fairly familiar to her, and when they saw that it wasn't Zelda, some of them let out visible breaths of relief. Myriad chuckled over it and Lyonel smiled.

"I hope we didn't scare you," Lyonel told them, "but I think we're all here now."

Nissandra, standing near a table where a few trays of candy were set up, nodded that they were. "Yes, you're right, Myriad." With those words, she looked over at Jada and the rest of the handmaidens. "Alright, go tell her that I'm seeking her audience so we can give her the surprise we've been waiting to."

Nodding, Jada motioned to the girls to go get the Princess, and Myriad had a look around at the blossoming flowers on the bushes and plants in the earth while she did. There were streamers tied to the branches in places and the garden lanterns that would be lit whenever evening drew down the sun, all in different colors of reds, pinks, and purples. The garden itself, lined against the Palace, was already beautiful on its own, so aside from the festive touches, not much was needed to make it look as good as it could. In essence, all that had been added were a few tables with various items, including wrapped gifts, upon them.

A fountain in the center of the square they all stood within was sprinkling water out from the mouths of four stone fish settled in the corners, the spray of which was landing in the center of the pool. On the surface of the water was floating several lilies of pink and white colors, and koi fish swam beneath them. Settled on the outer edge of the wall surrounding the pool was a grouping of the school children who'd helped to decorate, paying close attention to a story from Link who looked more than happy to entertain them, and the sight made his mother smile fondly.

Myriad wasn't completely sure what story he was telling, but he had the children gasping and laughing as if he were a professional minstrel. Her attention also became slightly compromised when she heard a comment she'd just thought over. "He'll be a good father some day," Lyonel said through her considerations.

Nodding, Myriad replied, "I was just thinking that myself. Let's hope it's not _too_ terribly soon though. As much as I would like to have grandchildren, I'm still trying to have the time I've gotten with my own."

Lyonel agreed with a smile, hearing the gasp of the children as Link went on with his story to them. Myriad could only imagine that her son could have more than likely kept them entertained until well past sunset if he was allowed to with all that he'd been through. Stepping toward him, she listened without interfering, hearing the tale he was relating being that of when he was a child, and he mentioned the name Casimir. Myriad knew the name from personal interactions with the man who used to be a Knight, and she had been told this story before as well, but only from Zelda's point of view. So she found it interesting now to hear it from her son's stand point.

Myriad could see him as a youth with the slingshot he seemed to have admired so much, and every time she did, it made her grin. While she felt remorse for not knowing that particular incarnation of her son, she was happy to know him at all with what had happened to her, as well as to him. Far too easily could everything have come crashing down upon their heads, so just watching him now, relating his childhood to children the same age that he'd been and younger was more than she could have ever asked for.

Link was finishing up his story now when she smiled, happening to see her listening. Giving her the same smile, he looked back at the kids and finished his tale before saying that he would continue it later because the party was about to start, adding that they should all go get ready to surprise the Princess. Once they'd nodded and scurried away, Link smirked while he stood up and walked over to his mother who'd chuckled softly.

"What's so funny?," he asked.

"Nothing at all," she replied, turning around to face the doors that Zelda would be brought through, which were the wooden doors to the left wall so that the unwitting Princess couldn't see through the glass doors that lead out from the ballroom connected to them. "Just listening to your tale and how easily you kept the children occupied until your intended arrived."

Link smiled and leaned in to kiss her cheek in affectionate greeting, then glanced about and spied his father and the King standing near by chatting quietly. Nissandra had several children with her, directing them in last second preparations fondly. As he looked about at them all, Arden Tenio and Doyle stood together idly conversing, and on the other side of the fountain opposite where he stood with his mother were a few of the nobles that were Court members, he told his mother, "Well, they like stories, and I have a lot of them."

"Indeed," Myriad chuckled out softly, waiting along with the rest of them. Keesa was to come back first so she could warn them of the Princess's arrival and tell them all to take their places, and they all kept a watch on the doors just incase something didn't work out quite like that. In their wait, Myriad added, "Lyonel and I agree that someday you'll be a good father."

That comment made Link grin, "I don't intend on being anything less. I'm sure you'll spoil them every step of the way though."

"Of course, otherwise I wouldn't be a very good grandmother."

Those words had Link chuckling, looking over as Lyonel stepped in beside of them. "So, are you ready?"

"Since I had the idea," Link informed his father, and Lyonel smirked over the comment, looking over at the door with him.

Finally, the wooden door opened, and Keesa poked her head around it. Seeing them all waiting, she snuck outside quietly though in a hurry and said, "They're right behind me!," on a loudly whispered voice, running over to the crowd and looking back. The door opened again and Jada stepped through it, walking to the side of the wall with Zelda right behind her, and as soon as they saw the Princess, they all yelled loudly.

"**Surprise**! **Happy Birthday**!"

Zelda legitimately jumped and bumped into Impa behind her as her hand went flying to her chest and her violet blue eyes went wide. When she realized she wasn't in immediate danger of being destroyed by some unseen beast that had come down to attack the gardens, she breathed out and called back, "Oh! You frightened me!"

She started laughing softly before she could even finish her line, everyone chuckling with her while they walked over, and Zelda couldn't help the blush that showed up on her face. "I had _no idea_ this was taking place! I thought you'd decided on a dinner party tonight!" The last line had been directed at her parents, and she took a deep breath to continue calming down from the startle she'd received before she leaned in to hug them both.

"Well, Link wanted to get some revenge, dear," Nissandra chuckled out, leaning in to kiss her daughter's cheek, "and the school children were adamant about decorating for you, so we couldn't say no."

"Aw," Zelda smiled out, looking down at the children who'd gathered around while they grinned up at her, eagerly awaiting her approval of their work. Crouching down, she asked, "Did you do this?"

They nodded vigorously, cute little smiles everywhere, and Zelda reached out to pat a few shoulders with a sweet smile, saying earnestly, "Thank you, it's completely gorgeous. I love it!"

"You're welcome, Princess!," several of them replied happily, and Zelda snickered over it as she stood back up. When she did, she let the others there congratulate her on turning eighteen years old, and a bit of sentimentality hit her when she realized something she'd thought of before, but hadn't mentioned yet, looking at her parents in order to do so.

"I finally get to have a birthday with you."

Nissandra couldn't help shedding a few tears, having brought her handkerchief along because she knew that she would be needing it, for more reasons than one. She had a secret to tell her daughter, but she would do so shortly instead of now. After all, Zelda had just had enough of a surprise, and didn't need to be completely floored.

Hadinaru kissed her cheek and told her in response, "We'll see every one after as well, little one."

Smiling brightly, Zelda stood back, responding, "I know, and don't be surprised when I do the same thing to you."

The playful threat made her father grin brightly. "Well, according to him, you started it," Hadinaru chuckled out, motioning at Link behind her.

Zelda turned around to see him finally after his and her father's endless jests over who started what, and she pursed her lips at him. As mad as she wanted to pretend to be though, this was the first time she'd seen him since before he'd left, so the anger she tried to portray only came off as a mild irritation at best. Link just grinned sheepishly in response to the look and told her, "I _never_ said that, he's blowing things out of proportion again."

Hadinaru scoffed in amusement behind Link, and Zelda just smiled finally and went toward him for a hug. Embracing one another, refraining from kissing in greeting due to the situation, Zelda whispered, "I missed you."

"I know," he said in soft response, hugging her tightly to himself, "happy birthday, Mira."

The use of the name, she'd come to realize, was mostly during times like this when he wanted to relate to her in a way that reminded them both of how much history they had together, and how much they loved each other, not just romantically. She tightened her grip on him and closed her eyes when she heard it, feeling completely comfortable with him so close to her now.

"Thank you, Link," came her response, also whispered, before she stood back and smiled at him with the blush on her cheeks still settled there solidly. With his own kind smile beaming back down at her, she kissed his cheek, and even then heard several of the children chanting their 'ews' out at them, a sound which made them laugh as Zelda turned to face them.

"What?," she asked them, "I had to show him my appreciation."

Several of those children started snickering and running away quickly when Link playfully shooed them off, and Zelda then got her well wishes from Link's parents and was showed all of the things that had been set up for her to enjoy herself with. The rest of the evening would go in much the same manner as well. The first thing she was given were several cards made by the children to wish her congratulations, and she realized that everyone had gotten a gift for her, evidenced by the table where the items were settled. Despite the fact that she continually claimed they didn't have to do all of this, she was told differently more than once.

The cake that was brought out, well, the main cake anyway, was lit with candles and was big enough to feed a small village, at least, from Zelda's point of view. The cooks had worked on it all day long, and it had white icing with pink and purple flowers decorating it. The candles matched, and there were a good bit of them, though not eighteen, otherwise the cake would have become a veritable pincushion.

Before she was to blow them out, as Link had done on his birthday a little over three months ago, Zelda requested for him to help her to do so. One of the children asked why they were doing it like that, and Nissandra explained that they had grown up together and always celebrated their birthdays on the same day like that. In return, the little girl asked if they liked each other, and a boy standing near her made a gagging face. It was too cute for words and Nissandra just chuckled loudly over it.

Games were held, mostly for the children's amusement, though Zelda found it extremely humorous when Link, at her fathers suggestion, joined in on a game where he was blindfolded and stood in the center of a circle of children who stood around him. He had to walk toward one of them, and whoever he found, had to say 'it's just me, Link!', and Link had to guess which child it was from their voice alone. It took him three tries to get out of the center finally, having luckily grabbed the son of the Knight who always called him Wink. While Link hated using that telling sign against the child, and still pretended it was hard to figure out who he was, he couldn't help but grin and laugh over it.

While Zelda watched him doing this, her mother stood close to her and caught her daughter's attention as she walked over and stood beside of her. Looking back, she smiled, asking, "So, just how long have you all been planning this?"

"Oh, for about a week now, though Link mentioned wanting to do this beforehand. The past two days have been the hardest though. We've wanted to keep you out of the gardens so we could decorate it." Zelda chuckled softly over those words, leaning against her mother's side when Nissandra lifted an arm to her shoulders. "You know, I think Link was worried about you finding out," she grinned. "He was pretty adamant about not even mentioning your birthday because he knew you might've become inquisitive."

Zelda continued smiling over the news, her father heading over behind her while the games the children were playing continued, and she noticed Nissandra looking back at him. Giving her husband a nod, she lowered her arm from Zelda and let Hadinaru say, "Little one, we also have another surprise for you."

Looking back, turning to face the both of them completely, Zelda lifted a brow and looked between them. Their faces suggested they did, in fact, have a big surprise, but also as if they weren't completely sure what the outcome might be.

The sight prompted Zelda to ask, "Is everything alright?"

Hadinaru lifted his arm to place over his wife's shoulder, and he nodded, "Yes, it is."

While he spoke and Zelda looked a little concerned, Nissandra reached out for her daughter's hand and added, "It just surprised us as well. We knew it could happen, but we weren't completely expecting it."

The words made Zelda's eyes go wide. Being tipped off with such a phrase somehow told her exactly what was going on.

Link, who'd just figured out which child he'd taken the shoulder of and had pulled his blindfold off with a little laugh because the kid had been hoping Link wouldn't get it, heard Zelda's sudden gasp of surprise, and he turned his head in her direction with slightly narrowed brows, wondering what in the world she'd just been told. She was hugging her parents fairly tightly, and pushing himself up to stand completely, he heard the child he'd just guessed the identity of asking, "Wink, why is Zewda yewwing?"

Trying not to chuckle too much over the child's lisp, Link looked back down and shook his head, "I don't know, but she sounds happy, doesn't she?"

The little pointed eared boy nodded with a grin, and Link patted his head, saying, "Alright, here's the blindfold, Hinly, you're in the circle now."

"Awww, come on!," Hinly exclaimed, taking the blindfold and grumbling. Grinning over it, Link let the children get back in their circle, and he stepped away from them while they continued playing for the time being before he found Lyonel and asked him what was going on. Lyonel had been standing near one of the tables conversing with a nobleman, but the older Hylian had walked off, leaving him free for questioning.

"Father? Do you have any idea what's got her so happy?"

Looking over, Lyonel nodded slowly, "I think I might, but I'll let her tell you. By the way," Lyonel added, facing Link now, "I know it might not be the right time, but I don't want to forget. I've been hearing some strange rumors, and I haven't spoken with Arden yet about it. Did you perchance hear or see anything strange yesterday when you three were out and about?"

Link wasn't sure what Lyonel might've been asking in specific, thinking it over and shaking his head. "Not that I can think of, why? Oh, wait," he started as he thought a little more, "Someone was saying they saw riders, but that was the only thing."

Nodding, Lyonel decided he would go further into it later, patting Link's arm, "That's all I wanted to know. You can tell me the rest later, when the party's over."

"Alright," Link replied, then heard Zelda saying his name, which prompted him to turn around. Seeing her standing there behind him, he guessed she was the reason Lyonel said he wanted to speak about it later. So he pushed the thoughts of it out of his head and smiled at her. "Hey, what's got you so excited?"

She was grinning, her hands folded together in front of her skirt, and looking around, she asked, "Can we go into the ballroom for a moment? It's a secret for now and I really want to tell you."

"Sure," he nodded, then began to walk toward the doors with her, feeling his hand being taken in her fingers as they went, the same habit she'd always had since they were children of grabbing it without realizing it. Or maybe she had realized it this time, he could only wonder.

As they walked off to talk in private, Lyonel smirked at what Zelda's parents had already told him and Myriad, wondering how his son might take the news before he heard his own lady calling his name, looking back to see Myriad. Smiling at her and lifting an arm to place around her shoulders as she stepped toward him, she started, "I was curious if you'd accompany me to fetch a few lanterns. It's growing dark, and some of the children are still finishing their game of hide and go seek," she grinned.

"Of course," Lyonel nodded, turning to walk with Myriad toward the doors opposite of the one's Link and Zelda had used. Once they were inside and heading down the corridor, Lyonel added, "I think Zelda took the news about her mother very well."

"Yes, she did. I'm happy for them," Myriad grinned.

They managed to find their way into the closest kitchens located near the ballroom where several supplies for the party had been hidden, including a few fireworks and sparklers that were going to be brought out once the sun had settled low enough in the sky, and in seeing them, Myriad decided they should go ahead and take them out as well since it was growing dark. It was then that she spied the lanterns settled on a counter near a window and turned to hand the sparklers to her husband so that she could grab them.

While she went and Lyonel took the items he held to settle near the door so they wouldn't be forgotten, Myriad reached for the lanterns and her attention was caught when a light glinted in the sun outside. Looking up and out of the window, the scenery that of the distant hills and trees that surrounded the northeast of Hyrule which was the direction of River Town and indirectly toward Lake Hylia, she narrowed her gaze curiously. The expansion of land in that direction was vast, but the glint of light pinpointed the area she'd wanted to look in which was in the trees atop a hill.

She didn't see much of anything when she looked, tilting her head to the side slightly in curiosity, just waiting to try to see if her eyes had been playing tricks on her or not. But surely enough, she spotted movement within those trees, and while the shadows of the trunks and branches blurred out whatever the figure was in the light of the setting sun to the west, she saw a second glint, telling her that her eyes had not been playing tricks on her to begin with.

Whatever it was vanished from sight, having been moving before she'd even looked apparently, and Myriad lifted a single brow. Lyonel saw her staring, and walking over to her, he placed a hand upon her back and leaned forward himself. "What are you looking at, love?"

Shaking her head, Myriad looked back down at the lanterns she'd come to fetch with a little smile on her face. "Nothing I could get a proper view of."

"But you did see something?" He asked, looking at her in curiosity.

"I could say I saw a blurred movement in the trees and a glint of light like armor, but that could be anything," she told him, turning her face up to his. "Let's get these back to the party before they miss us, shall we?"

"Alright," he nodded, letting her carry those lanterns off before he took a few himself. Glancing back out of the window for just a moment, looking quietly, Lyonel wondered for a moment if she'd just seen something significant but hadn't wanted to tell him completely. Though, he did know that Myriad would have said something if that were the case, so he pushed the thought from his mind and walked on. After all, Myriad wasn't one to keep quiet if she believed there was anything suspicious going on.

But the words 'a glint of light like armor' did make him curious indeed. Especially if this was the same instance of the rumors he'd been hearing about riders. What made him so curious was that all of those rumors had remained southerly, and the Palace was located to the north of the Kingdom.

Maybe those rumors were on the verge of a change.


	7. Dreaming

_Chapter 6 - Dreaming_

Coming into the dining room with Zelda, Link shut the doors behind them and turned around, finding himself in a spontaneous kiss that, though it had slightly surprised him, he returned without much prompting. Taking her hands, he tugging her in closer and parted his lips against hers, kissing her somewhat heatedly, showing an intensity that told her exactly how much he'd missed her, one which she returned properly.

They stayed like that for several moments, tasting one another, slowly rolling their lips and tongues together, and Zelda took in a deep breath through her nose as she wound her arms around his back and murmured a soft sound in the pit of her throat. The sound got a similar response from Link, and as they both slowly parted their mouths from one another, Zelda breathed out the words softly, "Sorry, I just needed to kiss you first though."

"Don't be sorry," he said in reply, loosening his grip on her a bit so that she could back up to see him, though his arms were still around her sides as hers were around his. Once he'd looked down at her, he continued, "I would have done the same thing."

The comment made her smile at him, and Link brushed some of her hair back over her shoulder, asking in turn, "So, what is the secret you wanted to talk to me about?"

Her smile only grew brighter, and she looked down at his chest, the white tunic he wore, and started, "It's somewhat sudden, unexpected, but wonderful news nonetheless. I'm going to have a brother or a sister." After saying that, she looked up at Link's face to see what he thought, adding, "Mother knows she is carrying for certain as of a week ago."

Link looked fairly stunned, but at the same time, he also looked happy, "Really? That's...," he shook his head, then narrowed his brows, "Kind of strange actually. I didn't think they could still have children."

"Well, they're in their late thirties, and that's definitely not too old."

"Hmm, that's true," Link replied, "I keep thinking of them both as older, perhaps because I always envisioned a wise old king in my head when I was a kid." Then he smiled finally with the thought of the news hitting home for him, saying, "A sibling, huh? You get to be a big sister. That's wonderful."

"I'm excited," she grinned, having never thought such a thing as this could have happened. With the thought in mind though came what her mother and father had told her just after they'd admitted that their second child was on the way. "They're keeping it a tight secret until Mother begins to show. I think they're slightly paranoid in a way, not that I can blame them at all considering what happened with me."

Link thought about that for a moment, knowing they had every right to be paranoid, and he told Zelda, "Well, I doubt anyone could pull that same thing twice after all that's happened. But I can't say I blame them either. Whenever the time comes for me to be a father, I don't think I'm going to let you out of my sight."

Those words made Zelda smile and blush, lowering her face so that her forehead rested against his chest. The thought of having children was one she'd given thought to before definitely, and she knew that one day she would, though she hadn't completely thought about the situation and that any children she had would be with Link. So she couldn't help her blush, considering it to herself while she stood there with him. She knew that he would make a good father indeed, especially after seeing him with the school children that afternoon, and even on other occasions. Hinly, the son of his fellow Knight, was very fond of him after all.

There was only one thing that was uncertain, and she whispered, "I wonder what we might have first, a boy or a girl?"

Link shrugged, "As long as it's happy, I don't really care one way or the other. Oh...," he drew out suddenly with narrowing brows.

Zelda looked up when she heard the sound, asking, "What? Is something wrong?"

"No, I was just considering that my own parents could probably have another too. That's really odd to think of."

"Hmm, you're right." Zelda then smirked at him, "I think you should have a little brother. That would be adorable."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know to be honest," she smiled, "but it just seems fitting somehow. You could take him fishing and teach him how to fight. It might seem a little strange to you now, but I really want my parents to have theirs now that I've found this out. They missed me when I was a baby, so I want them to be able to experience it, and see them doing so."

Link nodded as he considered that, saying, "I think you're right. If my mother turned up carrying a second child, I'd definitely be happy for them, and to get a brother or sister. But," he looked back at her face, "do you think you'll get jealous?"

"No," Zelda shook her head, "I don't. Well, maybe a slight part of me, but I can't wait on the same token. I'm excited to see what it will be and I want to hold it and help them raise it. It will help prepare me for my own children too, come to think of it. Not that I want to have any too soon," she smiled at him.

"I agree," Link said with a smile, then nodded his head. "We'll never get any time together if we have them too early."

Zelda sighed out over the mention of their limited time together lately, and then she leaned in and continued to hug him while they had this time alone. As she rested her head where it was, able to hear his heart beat softly against her ear, she closed her eyes and asked, "So, what's planned for you tomorrow after Court?"

A grin formed on his face, and Link shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, there's this girl I was interesting in seeing to talk to for a while. I was hoping I might be able to coerce her into going to the market with me to have a little outing."

"Oh?" Zelda asked, smirking slightly over the way he'd put that, and she shook her head while glancing up at him, "Well, who is she, might I ask?"

"Hmm," Link started, pretending to have to think about it, and Zelda was trying not to snicker. "She's a Royal, too good for me probably, but I'm hopeful anyway. I wonder if she'll say yes or not."

Grinning still, Zelda informed him, "Well, she might if you ask her sweetly enough."

"Alright, then," Link looked down at her, "Zelda, would you like to go to the market with me tomorrow?"

Zelda couldn't help a soft, girlish giggle as she lowered her head forward to cover her mouth because of the sound, nodding her head before looking back up at him. "You're so immature. But yes, I would love to." She'd grinned for only a moment before a thought suddenly hit her after saying those words, and her grin turned into a frown suddenly, "Oh no."

Link didn't like that look, and he already knew she'd just remembered a previous engagement. "Did you forget something?"

"Yes, I forgot that my lesson will be in the evening instead of morning because of the court session, and then I have to go have dinner with my parents and a few nobles from Duvai to discuss the reopening of sessions in the academy and potential attendees. They want me there because I'll probably be attending, and they thought my input would be nice to have."

She looked fairly dejected, her head lowering a bit, and Link lifted a hand to her cheek to turn it up and make her look at him. "Don't worry, love, we'll have another time."

"I know," Zelda muttered out, then she drew her arms down and stood back away from him slightly, turning to fold her arms across her chest. "I just get so tired of there always being_ another time._"

Link stepped toward her and put his hand on her shoulder before trying to cheer her up a little, "So do I, Zelda, but we'll still see one another."

Pursing her lips, looking up at him, she had to be honest about it, shaking her head slowly, "This might sound selfish, Link, but it won't be the same."

Link understood her feelings, the need to have their time alone together and be with one another, and how it could make you feel selfishly dejected when you had a lack of it. He'd had the same issues himself of course, and he asked, "If it's important, then maybe you can find a way to skip your lessons for the day, though I don't think that's a completely good idea."

"Nor do I," she replied in agreement. It wasn't good if she was skirting responsibility, and they both felt obligated to their duties. If she started doing that now, she could risk some reprimand because the chances were better that they would both continue to put aside their obligations more than just once. It was definitely a bothersome thought, and Zelda finally looked over at him, asking, "Are you busy in the afternoon?"

"No," he shook his head, "just hoping to take you to the market like I'd said."

"Well," she waved a hand, "maybe you can sit in on my lesson, I know Impa wouldn't mind."

"That actually sounds like a good idea, even if you don't have much time between your lesson and your dinner," Link told her, and the words got her smile again finally. "Maybe I'll learn something too," he grinned.

It sounded nice to the both of them, especially since Link couldn't do that because he was usually busy during the day with the Knights. Coming to an agreement on what their plan was, Link leaned down to give her a slow kiss as if to make a silent promise. She let him lean in, closing her eyes with dizzy anticipation. It was then, as he'd almost reached her mouth, that the doors opened and Tenio looked inside, asking, "My lady? Link? Everyone's looking for you both outside."

Link looked back and Zelda looked over his shoulder, nodding, "I'm sorry, we'll be right out. I needed to tell him something."

"It's fine, they just sent me to see where you were." Tenio replied, then nodded respectfully to his friend and his Princess, leaving them alone once again. When the door shut, Zelda looked back up when Link turned down to her, and she reached up to brush some hair from his face gently with a soft sigh.

"I guess we need to go back. I suppose I'll have to receive a few gifts now."

Link nodded, and he thought of the things he'd gotten her. That was a part of the celebration that he was looking forward to, but before he went to go enjoy himself, he was determined to get his kiss first, leaning down a bit more quickly so that nothing else would interrupt them. The suddenness of the movement stole her breath away for a moment, and she reached for his tunic to clench her fingers into it.

It was the moments like these that she'd realized she'd missed the most, the ability to kiss him as she wanted to, or just get as close to him as she felt like, instead of playing the part of casual friend for social sakes. She let him hug her, and returned his kiss thoroughly, sweeping her tongue slowly along his, savoring that one moment completely.

Somehow though, through the kiss she realized she'd been right a night or two ago. He did feel somewhat bigger now, or at least a good bit more firm. Her opposite hand had come to rest against his chest, and it felt like rock was beneath her fingertips. It was pleasant though somehow, in a way she couldn't quite explain. He'd always been a decent size, and hadn't ever really felt soft, the differences she could remember clearly feeling between his body and hers being something she'd tried to take in as much as she could the night they'd made love in the Gerudo Valley, but now she could definitely tell a more solid difference in his stature.

He'd asked her if she liked it, and she'd informed him that they would see. Now she was starting to get her answer, and as the kiss finally, and slowly broke, she smiled over it.

Link didn't ask what the smile was for, just holding her still to enjoy that last moment before they rejoined everyone, thought she was simply smiling over the kiss, and that _was_ a part of it. After a brief moment, he whispered, "Should we go back now?"

"Yes," she nodded quietly, "I'm eager to see what you've gotten me after all."

---

Zelda ended up with quite a few things for her birthday - a few new dresses, some jewelry, and some books to name a few items. One of those books came from Link, which was a collection of stories he'd seen her peering through in a shop at Hyrule Market and had thought to get for her. She'd said she wanted it, but at the time, they had to leave or she would be late to go with her mother as she'd promised in order to speak with, back then, potential teachers for the children. She hadn't specifically thought to buy anything to begin with since the trip to the Market had really only been for the means of getting out for a short bit, so neither of them had any rupees on them.

So Link took her back to the Palace, then went to get his rupees, and came back to buy the book before someone else might've found it. He'd had it ever since, waiting to give it to her for her birthday, and she seemed completely thrilled to see the book again. He didn't have to prompt her into opening it either, wanting her to do so since there was another surprise inside of it. When she did, she found a pendant necklace inside the cover made of platinum with deep sapphire stones that matched the color of her eyes. It was a fairly elegant looking pendant, and in seeing the necklace, Hadinaru let a whistle of awe before he asked Link who he had to kill to get the lovely item. Link sarcastically replied 'two witches and a dark priest', which had everyone snickering.

Link wanted to get the pendant for her because of what had happened to the one her parents had given her. When he found out that Ganondorf had destroyed it, he'd promised to find her that he'd find another, and he'd taken a good bit of time looking, until finally he found what he felt was suiting. It was a bit smaller than the last one, but just as intricately decorated, the pendant itself carved with woven bands around the gems that were designed to look like a knot tying them together.

Zelda gave him a kiss of gratitude for the pendant and the book, and since she'd saved Link's gifts for last, she commented that they should clean up the paper. Night had fallen upon them, and a burst was heard in the distance not long after she'd made the mention. Several children went running, pointing at the colorful lights in the sky as the fireworks exploded, and Zelda gave her father a suspicious look over the instance. Hadinaru just whistled innocently and walked on before his daughter grabbed him in order to give him a hug, which had him chuckling.

Link could definitely say that, if nothing, their eighteenth birthdays were both as memorable as they got. His only regret was that his mother hadn't been present for his, but knowing she'd be there for the rest of them more than made up for it. Link also took the time out over the course of the evening to tell Hadinaru and Nissandra congratulations on their future child, and then played a few games with the children that Zelda and several other adults had joined in on.

It was a lot of fun, once more ending too soon for Link and Zelda both. Even though the goodbye Link had to give her that night wasn't met with uncertainty as to when they'd next see one another, or met with a long gap between times apart, he found himself once again stalling outside of her door after it had shut, wondering why things had to be set up the way they were.

Regardless of this matter, however, they both turned in, went to bed, and fell asleep with thoughts of the party and of each other going through their minds. As the peaceful sleep they entered into washed away thoughts of anything except for a passing dream now and again, Link found his own dreams - and not for the first time - festering with hauntings of the past, glowing red eyes amidst a deep black shadow, pain and suffering and maniacal laughter.

He laid on the pillows, shirtless above the covers as he sometimes preferred it, his skin breaking out into a sweat as he turned his head to the side. His brows narrowed, a lock of blonde hair stuck to his forehead due to the perspiration inspired by the rough sleep he was having. He mumbled things out, some words tangible, others not so much, grunts or groans sounding in turn, flipping his head to the opposite side again as he became restless.

Laying in her own bed, though she was far away, Zelda opened her eyes slowly, somehow sensing, knowing, that his rest was fitful in her half asleep state. She sat up slowly, her hair falling around her shoulders and neck to frame her face, the sheet that had been covering her also drooping around her waist as she looked up and to the door. She knew he was haunted from time to time, had sensed it before, and Zelda also knew it was natural, especially with all that he'd been through. But the need to go to him ate at her heart, and she turned to settle her feet on the floor before she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.

He'd just awoken, she could tell because those feelings of anxiety she was sensing were flooding away. With that development, Zelda turned her face down and breathed out a sigh of relief, glad that he wasn't stuck in the clutches of a nightmare anymore, but also curious over why she sometimes sensed those types of things from him. She knew her connection to him was strong, her love for him endless, and could only suppose that perhaps their telepathic bond - as Hylians tended to have with one another - sometimes cried out to her whenever something was wrong, his doing so in his sleep without him meaning for it to. With that thought in mind, she also wondered if she'd ever done the same thing to him.

Link had stood from bed and went to his washbasin, cupping a bit of water in his hands and splashing it across his face. Taking a slow breath, he grumbled softly about the nightmares he sometimes had while taking a white clothe to dry his skin off, then leaned on the table he was standing near which was against his wall with a mirror settled over it. Looking at himself, he wondered for a moment if he looked older than he had before, but decided that wasn't of any consequence. After all, anyone was bound to look older after what all had happened. He was only eighteen as well. Chances were that, if he did look older, it wasn't just the events alone that he'd been through causing it.

Turning with the consideration in his head, Link went to lay back down. He yawned in the process, his head resting back against the pillows once again, when he heard a soft tapping, narrowing a brow. He wasn't sure he'd heard anything at all because it had been so quiet, but surely enough it sounded again after a moment, followed by the words, "Link? Are you still awake?"

He sat up slowly when he heard the voice and lifted a brow, wondering if his pointed ears had heard right and it was Zelda outside of his door now. He was just about to stand up and go open the door for her when he saw a flash of light that formed into the Princess.

Zelda had decided that, since he hadn't answered, he might've fallen back to sleep, and not wishing to rouse him once again, she teleported inside of his room, thinking to just see with her own two eyes that he was alright. As she came into view near the foot of his bed, and saw him sitting up and staring at her, her lips parted with the realization that he'd just been about to come open the door for her, and she put a hand to her mouth saying, "Oh, you're awake."

Link nodded, standing up to step over to her. Something must have been wrong if she was here in the middle of the night, and putting his hand on her upper arm, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she shook her head, supposing he thought she might have come there for comfort, and she explained further, "I was just worried about you. I was half asleep and got the sense that something was wrong here, so I thought I'd check on you."

In understanding, Link slowly nodded, still staring at her as he realized she was fine, somehow finding her beauty at three in the morning to be even more enchanting than in the afternoon when she was properly attired and had her hair completely done up. It was a kind of beauty he couldn't exactly explain, but since he'd yet to really see it, he couldn't help but stare at her.

Zelda herself definitely wasn't ignorant to his shirtless state, and she tried not to stare at his chest, or his abdomen, keeping her gaze upon his face after she'd spoken the words, watching him nod his head at her. He still hadn't answered her, so she prompted him a little bit.

"So you're alright then?" She asked with a raised brow over her eye, wondering why he looked a little dumbfounded.

Again, he nodded.

"Link, why are you staring at me?" She couldn't help but ask that finally, looking down to see if perhaps she had something on the satin robes she was wearing, and then back up at his face again.

The question seemed to snap him out of it, and finally, Link sighed and shook his head. He didn't have an outright way of explaining it. He was very glad to see her for one thing, and for another, she just looked so sleep mused and...cute. "Nothing, you're just beautiful."

The words made her blush, even if she knew he already thought as much about her. Hearing his praise still made her feel a little shy, and she couldn't help that. Clearing her throat, she asked, "Well, should I go back to my room if you're alright?"

"No," Link said with a shake of his head, reaching out to take her wrist. "I'm actually glad you came. I would like for someone to be here with me."

Zelda slightly worried about what might happen in the morning if she came in and fell asleep with him, glancing up at his face before she whispered, "Alright." With those words, she stepped in closer to him and let him hug her, one she returned. Her cheek pressed against the bare skin of his chest, somehow nicely hot to the touch, and she closed her eyes.

"I'll stay until just before dawn," she whispered. "I'll sleep better too if I do."

Link just nodded his head, letting go of her long enough to take her over to the bed with him and lay down. Once settled on the mattress with her, Link pulled her closer to himself and laid his cheek against her forehead. "How are you going to wake up before dawn?"

"I don't know that I will," she admitted, "but, I'm not sure I even care if I don't. So long as I'm here."

With a sigh, Link nodded, replying, "Neither do I. But how did you know something was wrong at all?"

"Sometimes I sense it. It's the same with my parents, and yours too. I was half asleep and something just told me you weren't completely alright." Opening her eyes, she glanced up just a bit, though she could only see his mouth from the way they were settled together so comfortably. "What were you dreaming about? What happened three months ago?"

"Mmm hmm," he drew out, "every now and then I do. It's nothing bad though, just irritating."

She could imagine. Quietly, rubbing her hand against his arm without realizing it, she replied, "I know. Sometimes I dream about it too."

The words made him look down at her just slightly, and he asked, "You do?"

"Yes," she told him, still quiet, "most of the time it's about you being hurt and I can never get to you to help you. But sometimes, it's about him coming back and taking everything away from us again."

They didn't need to name 'him', both of them knew who she was talking about. She felt Link rubbing her back in that moment, his arm settled around her, and he whispered, "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Zelda informed him, "just irritating, like you said."

There was a smile on her face when she spoke the words, and in her voice as well, and she closed her eyes when he turned his head to kiss her forehead. She leaned into it, and then nuzzled her face against his throat, her eyes closing as she felt heavily relaxed and extremely groggy because of it. She knew she was going to fall asleep without meaning to, and while she drifted, she heard him whispering, "Whenever you're here, my dreams are never that bad anymore."

A little smile showed up on her lips, and she knew he was right. Any time he was close, she usually only dreamt about pleasant things. Unless it was a vision of some type that wasn't completely pleasant, like those she'd been blessed with that were trying to tell her that her parents were still alive and imprisoned in Ganondorf's Palace. "Mine too."

"Good," he whispered back. "Then let's get some sleep so you can attend the Court Session tomorrow."

He knew she was already there almost from the way she'd spoken her words. Whispering a goodnight to her, he kissed her forehead again, and stayed awake just a little bit longer since he wanted to be conscious while she was with him. She felt soft, smelled sweet, and he, for an instance, wished they were already married, because, as selfish as it was perhaps, he would have loved to make love to her again, remind himself how good it felt to do so - not that he'd forgotten.

But sleep claimed him too not long afterwards. He just hoped that, in the morning, no one would get angry, that was, if they were caught sleeping in the same bed. After all, sometimes they just needed one another, and there was nothing wrong with that whatsoever. Link knew their parents trusted them, and Link also trusted himself and Zelda. In fact, Hadinaru had even told him that, even if he didn't want them to do anything wrong - which he didn't of course - the biggest reason they needed to keep a distance in these situations was due to the possibility of scandal, a word that royals seemed to have to put up with far more often than other people.

But it wouldn't hurt for tonight. If the chambermaids missed Zelda in the morning - for once out of a number of times more that they probably could have - then there was a million and one reasons to explain her absence. Perhaps Court had made her too anxious to sleep any longer, or she'd woken because of a bad dream.

Link doubted there would be trouble at all.


	8. Court

_Chapter 7 - Court_

"Zelda, wake up."

Zelda's eyes opened as her shoulder was shaken gently. The first thing she saw was Link's neck, but the voice she heard was decidedly more feminine in nature. Her confusion over the situation only lasted for a second or two after that.

The realization jolted her as she turned her head with wide eyes to spy his mother standing next to the bed shaking her gently, gasping softly as reality settled back into her head. But she couldn't speak due to Myriad's soft shushing, and her gentle voice whispering out, "Don't rouse him, he needs a little more rest. But you need to get back to your room before Arlina finds you missing. It's not too long after dawn now, so you've got a little time."

Zelda reached up to rub her eyes, turning to get her feet on the floor and stand up. Despite the way she'd awoken, she was still a bit groggy from sleep, and as Myriad - who was fully dressed with her hair done up into a roll at the nape of her neck while blonde tendrils flowed down before her ears - helped her along, Zelda glanced back at Link and asked, "Aren't you angry?"

Myriad's reply wasn't too loud or quick, in order to allow her son a little more rest, and she said, "Of course not. I trust the both of you. I'm just concerned for the chambermaids spreading rumors and starting scandals. Neither of us want that, believe me. Now, let me escort you back to your room properly. We can say that you weren't feeling well, and came to see me for a little aide."

"Hmm," Zelda drew out, stepping into the hallway with the royal advisor, adding, "I thought you or one of my parents would be exceptionally angry."

As they got into the corridor, Myriad having looked out first before motioning for Zelda to walk out with her when no one was about, she hooked her arm into the Princess's and started walking while she explained. "Well, Lyonel and Hadinaru _might_ have had you both strung up by your toes, Nissandra would have been confused until she knew the reasoning, but I, on the other hand, am not concerned with the two of you in the face of responsibility. As far as I'm concerned, spending a night in each other's presence between the two of you isn't a dire problem."

Zelda slowly nodded, endlessly glad and thankful that Myriad was so understanding, but she still felt the need to explain things. "Well, I _did_ adjourn to my chambers last night. But I woke up when I sensed a dream he'd had. It was a bad one, and I couldn't resist checking on him."

She glanced up to see the Sage of Light nodding, their arms hooked together so Zelda could be properly escorted, as well as to make it look as if she felt just a little sick, and Myriad told her, "I know, my dear, I sensed it too. I would have come to check on him, and while I feel the dire urge to do so, I have to constantly remind myself that he _is_ a grown, though young, man, and these dreams will pass with a little time. Yours as well."

Zelda looked up at the woman and narrowed her brows slightly, asking, "How did you know I have dreams like that too?"

Myriad took to the stairs with her in order to descend to the floor that the Princess's chambers were on, and as she did, she explained, "You and I had the privilege of the effects that the Triforce of Wisdom grants. I may have never carried the relic personally as you do, but being in the presence of the assembled Triforce for so long can render a similar outcome in a person. Clairvoyance is one of those, and I sometimes pick up on things, willingly or not, that come and go around the Palace."

"It's hard to control," Zelda whispered in turn. "Isn't it?"

"Yes," Myriad nodded, "it can be extremely so, even for me."

Zelda nodded as they walked along, considering the Triforce she held, which she thought of on a daily basis for the most part. She'd been curious about it, even asked Myriad if she and Link should return those halves of the Triforce to the Sacred Realm now that Ganondorf was out of the picture, but Myriad told her that - having been gifted with them, and not by choice - they would be safer in the hands of someone benevolent such as Link and Zelda. Due to this, she advised them to hold onto their Courage and Wisdom until they passed on as everyone eventually did, and then return those halves to their places respectively.

Zelda could agree with that completely. After all, she'd absolutely hate for something to happen again involving the relic. She'd also learned so much since she'd come into possession of the item that it felt like a part of her person - her very being - anyway. In her lessons with Impa, she'd come to realize many things through that power she wielded, as if she had a book inside of her with all the answers to every question she could ever ask - she just didn't always have an interpreter to tell her what it all meant.

So the clairvoyance would simply have to be practiced with. Perhaps she'd be able to control it thoroughly with enough work, and not simply be awoken at random from sleep by a telepathic link to the one she loved. That would definitely be a feat to say when she wanted to hear such a thing to the extent that she could perhaps even know before it happened. It had to be possible after all, manifesting in dreams and visions, just at random so far instead of at her own will.

"I'm sure I'll be able to control it eventually," Zelda told Myriad, "after all, I've learned so much already."

Myriad gave her a warm smile and an agreeing nod of her head, patting her arm gently. They made it to Zelda's chamber doors, and Zelda looked at her once they did, asking, "Would you like to come in for a few minutes?"

Myriad, opening the door for her, spoke as she walked into the bedroom, "Of course. I can somehow see you don't really want to be alone right now."

"No," she shook her head, "I don't. I'm a little nervous about the council today, what might happen at Court, and I also wanted to ask you something I'd thought of but haven't had a chance to yet."

The admission got Myriad's attention, and she looked over at Zelda while shutting the door behind them both, asking curiously, "Hmm? What's that?"

Zelda had gone to sit in the chair near the hearth, and Myriad followed her, sitting in the seat adjacent to the table between them. Once she was there, Zelda waved a hand and said, "Do you know what could have happened to the Triforce of Power? Sometimes I wonder, as it seems it wasn't returned to the Sacred Realm when Ganondorf died."

Myriad, settling her skirts comfortably about her legs, replied, "You know, I often wonder myself, but you're right. It did not return to the Sacred Realm. This being the case, I can only imagine that, like Wisdom and Courage, it chose someone worthy enough to harness it in order to create another balance in the world where something else might be going wrong."

"That doesn't bode well, Myriad," Zelda shook her head. "Would the person even know they have it? After all, Link and I didn't until we were reunited."

With a soft sigh, Myriad looked down at her hands folded in her lap, and she thought about her answer. Zelda watched her, sometimes still finding it odd that the woman wasn't just a voice anymore echoing from a magical stone, and instead, a being sitting right before her that she could look at and see clearly, witness her expressions and not just wait patiently for a reply. As she had these thoughts, Myriad nodded slowly finally.

"You might be right, Zelda, though I doubt anyone has the level of malevolence to use the Triforce of Power that Ganondorf did. I haven't sensed anything, nor have you I'm sure, so that chances are, if a new person holds it, they do not yet realize it. But when they do, it's a toss of the coin what they might do with that power."

"Which is what I worry about," Zelda returned, sighing out her breath. "It really could be anywhere in the world at all."

"Perhaps not. After all, the Triforce was _Hyrule's_ gift from the Goddess's. If it went somewhere else, it will eventually return to the land from whence it came."

Somehow that did make Zelda feel a little better. At least then, there wouldn't be some unseen danger lurking about out there - saying, that was, that someone malevolent had their hands on it now. Glancing back over at Myriad, she gave her a smile, then noticed something, commenting, "It's early. I don't know why I thought of asking you that at such a bad hour."

"To get your mind off of Court," Myriad chuckled in response. "I don't mind either. It's not often that I get a chance to speak with you like this. Though I must admit it's humorous that I do so on a morning that I find you in my son's chambers."

Zelda smiled through her blush, lowering her head forward as she whispered out, "I'm sorry. But if it's any consolation, I did sleep better."

"I sure he did as well," Myriad replied through her chuckling. Then she waved a hand, "I know it seems unfitting of me to not become at least a little angry, even though I have enough sense to gather evidence to the fact that everything was innocent. But, since I do need to set an example, I'll just remind you that next time, it could have been Lyonel, and probably would have if Court hadn't taken place today and Link was simply going to the barracks with him for regular work."

Zelda cringed over the thought slightly, realizing that Myriad was right. Lyonel, while not an irrate man or one who gave off the impression that he would become angry in such a manner easily, still seemed to have that aura about him of tradition and respectability that made it hard to think of making any transgressions against him or what he stood for. Myriad herself seemed very proper, but her values also carried a type of logic to them in that she wouldn't let her personal values influence her emotions over a situation that might not have adhered to what she stood for.

So Zelda could have only imagined that Lyonel would have probably been the one to, if not yell, then at least seriously lecture the both of them. With the thought in mind, Zelda asked her, "Would he have become very angry?"

"Well, he is a traditional man. I doubt he would have gotten completely angry, but he would have definitely lectured you both, then told me, and I would have become the mediator."

Zelda smiled, realizing in that moment that she'd been right, and that she was fortunate to have the type of mother-in-law she was going to have whenever she and Link were properly wed, and with those thoughts in mind, she listened when Myriad continued speaking over it. "Besides, I also realize that you two miss each other terribly. You've both been run around so much more than everyone else due to your special places. I don't think it strange at all to find you where I did."

She was right on that one, Zelda thought with a soft sigh and a nod. "I'm glad you noticed honestly. I don't want to complain about it, I love my life here with my family, but I do come to miss him terrible sometimes."

"Well, you both love one another, and have perhaps an even stronger bond between you than with us because of the way things have gone. So it's no surprise honestly," Myriad informed her. It was then that she also reminded Zelda, "You also know that your engagement will be officially announced during Court today, don't you?"

"Yes," Zelda nodded, "that's the part I'm so nervous about."

Myriad couldn't help but give her an inquisitive look with a little smile on her face, and she asked, "Why is that?"

"Well, what if they don't like it?"

"The councilmen and nobles?"

"Yes."

Shaking her head, the blonde Hylian replied, "They can point out dislikes, but this is a monarchy, and Hadinaru's, or his wife's say, is final. The only reason anyone would disagree is because you are, as they know for now, the King and Queen's only heir. Even if that was completely true, and Nissandra wasn't carrying a second child now, you still have the choice of taking the throne or decide not to if you would like, that is, as long as it's what your parents want. But even Link could become a head of state through marriage to you, though it's a morganatic marriage."

A morganatic marriage was one in which commoners and nobles wed to royalty had no rights to claim any title or social status - nor did any children which came from that union - through that marriage if the royal spouse were to pass away. This didn't pose a problem for Link and Zelda however, since they didn't care for social rank or gain in any form through marrying one another. Still, if Zelda passed away, and Link, or one of their children were all that was left, they could sit upon the throne under certain conditions. But now, with a second heir coming into the picture, all of that would could go to the sibling instead of Zelda.

Zelda knew all of this, nodding her head, and replying, "I understand that. I simply don't want it to become an issue at all. I'm likely to get angry if it does."

A knock came to the door once those words were spoken, the chambermaids showing up to ready the Princess for her day. Myriad looked from the door and over at Zelda as she stood up, saying, "If so, then let them see it. They'll realize quickly through your anger just how serious about wedding a Knight you actually are."

Those words somehow made Zelda smile, and with a nod of her head, as Myriad walked to the door, she said, "Thank you, Mother."

Myriad let a soft laugh about the title she would eventually take when Zelda wed her son, granting the Princess a smile as she opened the doors. "You're most welcome, sweet girl."

"Lady Myriad?"

The voice came from Arlina, the head chambermaid, who was a bit older and somewhat stout. In response, Myriad told her, "Good morning, Arlina. She's ready to be made ready. I simply came by to make sure her nerves were settled for Court."

Arlina let her maids walk in first, nodding at Myriad and saying that she knew Zelda would do just fine herself. Once Arlina turned her face away from Myriad in order to bid the Princess good morning, the Sage of Light looked at Zelda and winked playfully. The wink made Zelda smile and cover her mouth to keep from snickering. Grinning, Myriad told Zelda a goodbye and gave her the promise to see her at Court soon after breakfast was had.

Zelda just smiled brightly, watching her leave before letting a soft sigh. The chambermaids had rolled a cart into the room with food upon it, as well as drink, and Zelda thanked them while she considered all that had been spoken. She only hoped Link didn't become confused over her sudden disappearance, though she knew he'd probably think she just let him sleep and went to go to her own room so she wouldn't be caught by anyone.

"Your Highness, would you like an iced roll?"

Zelda looked at the maid who'd offered and nodded, taking it from her while she pushed the thoughts from her head in order to get ready for the day ahead of her. If her wake up call was any indication, Zelda got the feeling it would hopefully go fine.

---

The Court Hall was beginning to fill, the rows of chairs settled in such a way that they formed an arch around a podium used for speaking near the center of the room. At the front of the Hall, before all of the chairs, was a raised Bench, the front of which was engraved with the insignia of the Royal Family. The walls were painted white and a royal blue, and columns decorated the Bench area on both sides.

Suits of armor stood in the Hall along with murals painted of more ancient times, depictions of both famous figures in the history of the Kingdom, as well as that of historical moments and events, many of which took place in the room that the people were now gathering within. On each wall, there were also a few box seats, but those were reserved for foreign speaking members of the Kingdom who would be seated with a translator, or for spectators that needed to keep an eye over the events of the Court that day in order to make a proper recollection of the events to be put onto paper in some form or another. The latter of the two was seating themselves there now.

The High Council began to take their seats, including Myriad and Tenio who were closer to the front of the room on the left of the podium, and on the right of it across from them, Impa sat along with Brahm, the elder Hylian who had taken care of the Temple of Light for so many years in Myriad's absence. Once those members of the Council were settled, everyone dressed in some of their finest attires, the doors in the back opened again and members of the Hylian Knights began to enter the room.

They were usually present during Court Sessions to keep the peace - four to six of them - even for sessions of a more political matter, because the decisions made often times effected them, and it was necessary for a few to attend in order to relay the information to the others. Lyonel, their Captain, and his first in command, Arden, were the first to enter, both dressed in the casual attire made for the Knights, which consisted of blue jerkins over white tunics and chainmail, though the color of the jerkin would be a red one if the session being attended had to do with the justice of a criminal or matters that consisted of anything other than politics.

Armor was never worn to Court out of respect to peaceful endeavors, nor were weapons brought into the Court Hall. The only person allowed to carry any type of armament was the Captain of the Knights or the King himself, in the effort of maintaining that peace alone, and the sword was a ceremonial one which was made for that specific purpose alone, in order to symbolize their efforts.

Lyonel and Arden took places to the left and right of the Royal Bench, and the other four with them took up a set of positions that were also preordained. Link and Doyle were behind the Captain and First Officer, and Link took his place next to the bench of the First House - where Myriad and Tenio sat - while Doyle took his own with the Second, that of Impa and Brahm. First and Second houses were simply the names of the areas in which the Royal Advisors and Council Members with the highest seniority sat, and the name only sounded special, as Myriad had explained to Link.

Tenio sat in the First House with Myriad due to having become her pupil of sorts. Two chairs were seated behind them, as well as Impa and Brahm, where other nobles sat who had that type of seniority as well. Each of those two houses was settled within an enclosed space with its own door in which the particular Advisors to that house would enter from.

The Third House referred to the nobles which sat behind the podium at separate desks in a gated space, and this was the area where the fifth and sixth Knights took position. The gallery behind the Third House held attendees to the Court Session that may have been on the High Council, or students of politics learning how and why things worked the way they did. Link found it somewhat humorous that, even though he wasn't on the High Council, he had to learn this working just as thoroughly as Zelda did because he was a Knight.

Once everyone was settled, Lyonel performed his duty of announcing the sovereigns, his voice loud and clear as he state, "Members of the High Council and of State attending, stand and receive our King and Queen."

The doors behind the Royal Bench at the head of the room opened at the hands of servants, and the King and Queen entered the room while everyone awaited them to take their places among them. Zelda stepped on her father's left, Nissandra on his right, and as she sat down behind the bench, she looked out over all of the faces, some of which she knew, others she'd yet to meet or speak to. It was almost surreal to see this, but in actually doing so, it told her just how far they'd come. It was while she'd had these thoughts that Hadinaru noticed a small smile on her face, and he knew she was feeling rather accomplished in that moment, which in turn, made him smile.

Once the Royal family took their seats, Lyonel made the last announcement for everyone else to be seated and quietly await their King to call the session of Court open. While they all began to sit again, Zelda saw Link standing near the First House, and she couldn't help but smile. She'd seen him in the casual attire for nights once or twice, but most times she hadn't had a chance to. He liked to clean up in the Barracks before he came back to the Palace, and always changed his clothing when he did so. But she'd asked Bessa to make him a windsock out of the material the jerkins were made from because the outfit mirrored - not perfectly but closely - the green and white outfit he'd worn as the prophesied Hero of Legend. Besides, she considered, he just looked nice wearing one somehow.

He didn't wear it now though, due to being indoors at such a proper function, his blonde hair tied back at the nape of his neck neatly, bangs framing his face as per usual, and she wondered if he'd look over at her.

Link hadn't been looking at anyone in particular, just glancing about while things got organized, and it was once everyone had been properly seated and things were in place that he looked at Zelda. When he saw her, he gave her a little smile. It was one she returned to him, and for a moment, seeing her settled where she was, Link was curious if that was really his future wife or not. But, despite any unworthy feelings he had, staring at her in the white and blue gown she wore with her hair pulled back into a bun, a silver circlet across her forehead inlaid with sapphires, he definitely wasn't going to deny it or say it was impossible.

He just considered her with a good bit of pride and listened once Hadinaru was ready to call the session to begin.

Standing up, Hadinaru started, "Welcome, members of Court and Citizens of Hyrule. It's been too long since we've seen a session take place, but with everyone's efforts, we've been able to recover that facet of our society successfully. So before I call this session to open, I wanted to extend my gratitude to each one of you for your efforts."

Applause was heard in response to his words, and while the people showed their appreciation for their King's gratitude, Zelda joining in on that applause with everyone else, including the Knights. While not a common thing to hear coming from the Court Hall, it was very much due to the feats that had been accomplished during the restoration of the Kingdom. As the sound slowly died down and things grew quiet once more, Hadinaru continued.

"We've several topics to discuss, and for this I've decided to go over each in order of importance to the Kingdom. So as your King, I now call Court in Session. Let us begin."

Hadinaru looked up and at everyone, and to start, he began with the organization and fortification of their lands and the goods their Kingdom possessed, which included crops, technologies, and other such items. The discussion was being made over ways to put a rupee or two back into the farmers or inventors pockets to keep them on the market, because he believed that now was the time to focus on those matters rather than that of military or any other institute of protection. After all, as he put it, if there was nothing to protect, then there would be no need for it.

Zelda hung off of every word, listening without falter, taking in the points of the councilmen and making one or two of her own. Sometimes her points were valid, and others she listened as someone would remind everyone of a matter that outweighed her own. No matter what though, she didn't feel at all intimidated, and in fact, as Link had suggested she would, was enjoying this entire experience.

Half an hour passed with discussion over it, and finally, Hadinaru decided that soldiers would have a docked pay temporarily, and the money that was docked would be put toward setting up a guild as there had been before, one in which farmers and other such professions could join in order to receive special benefits to encourage their work. On the same token, in order to keep the soldiers from becoming disgruntled - as they were chosen to have their wages docked since the initial tasks of restoring the Kingdom had been heavily focused on their numbers - would each be allotted an extra day during this docking with their families, and that time would be treated as if they were still working.

Zelda found her father's conclusions to be completely fair and just to both causes, and she couldn't help a smile when the determination had been reached. Once the guild was formed, the pay of the soldiers would no longer be docked, and things would return to normal for that particular party of people. Once the solution had been reached, they carried on to the next item on the agenda, keeping things flowing smoothly.

"I wanted to bring up a topic I needed to address before more can come under discussion," Hadinaru began with the next issue, "due to the necessity of awareness on everyone's part what is going to happen in the near future. I've not yet received response, but before Court could be held, I had word delivered to me from Althor on the grounds of reestablishing our alliance. I know the change in subject from domestic to foreign is a large leap, but it _is_ time to consider our outside relationships as they could have a profound impact on our Kingdom and its citizens. I believe they will help to complete the restructuring of Hyrule, so this is a fairly important topic to be addressed here."

Some members of the Court nodded, others looked about in silent consideration, and one or two looked skeptical. Nissandra, who had done much of the speaking already, took over for her husband, saying, "Hadinaru and I decided to entertain Althor's request, and have sent invitation to receive their Ambassador and his diplomats. Also accompanying them, as far as we know, will be the crowned Prince in a show of good faith."

A nobleman toward the center of the room lifted a hand, and being recognized, he asked, "Your Highnesses, do you not think it is a bit premature to become a host to foreign people? They may be overly critical, even if Althor has always been our closest neighbor."

"No," Hadinaru replied, "at least, not as far as their King is concerned. I do realize that their Ambassador is not a man we've met before, however, they do know of the plights we've had to overcome. This is not a topic for discussion however, but an information to you all that we will soon be trying to mend fences. After all, Hyrule is by far no where near the condition it once was in."

Myriad, as she sometimes did, played the devil's advocate, simply to make sure all points had been discussed. Her words, once she'd raised her own hand to be recognized, surprised her son however, "My King and Queen, I'm unsure as to the benefit this will have for our Kingdom. I realize it is not under discussion, however, do you think that compromising our attention on foreign affairs at this time is wise when there's so many other issues that need tending?"

Zelda somehow knew that Myriad was simply trying to get all points under discussion even though she'd said at the dinner table that she believed it was a good idea. Hadinaru nodded his head at her in response, replying, "I think that foreign affairs are just as important at this time as other issues. After all, in light of the history of our Kingdoms, the doors between friends should be open to get to know one another again. If relations can be reformed, the benefits will help to settle our citizen's minds knowing that we have friends out there who may lend a helping hand."

Myriad gave a nod of her head, and everyone seemed to understand the line of thought their rulers had for them. They took note, as was the reason Hadinaru had began talking of the situation, and only one other person raised their hand. When recognized, he began, "Your Majesties, have you considered that Althor may simply be trying to assess the situation our Kingdom is in for more malevolent reasons? Especially after so long without contact between us."

"Indeed I have," Hadinaru nodded.

"Then, if this comes to pass as truth, it could set our Kingdom up for a second downfall. We should prepare for such an instance."

Hadinaru had a response to give his councilman, however, his daughter, who had the right to during such an open conversation, did so before he could. "I do not believe this is Althor's intention. If so, they could have acted ten years ago when the False Prince took the throne of Hyrule. Any Kingdom in the hands of such a child is vulnerable, and there are accounts that Althor made offer to aide the newly crowned King, even though that aide was never accepted."

"But your majesty," the same man replied, "Althor was our ally then."

"Yes, but you've already implied that they were capable of such malevolence back then by stating that they could act malevolently now when the same set of circumstances apply, the only difference is the length of time that has passed since communications were open. Being an ally does not necessitate obligation to offering aide if your friend is weakened to the point of vulnerability, yet Althor showed such a kindness once when it was told that the King and Queen had died of illness. Instead, they've only ever asked, even now, to keep themselves in good standing with us.

"I agree that preparation is a good task to undergo if only to cover all of the bases, but a scholar of Hyrule once wrote that if you prepare for war, if you expect it, you will receive it. Althor has always been our ally, and all that is lacking, is, as the King told, an open door."

The chamber became quiet, and everyone considered this. Impa, settled across from Myriad, had a proud smile on her face, and Hadinaru commented to everyone, "My true child," then he looked at her with a little smirk, adding, "she took the words right out of my mouth."

Several people chuckled softly, and Zelda gave her father a little smile. Glancing back out, she saw the nobleman, whose name she knew was Willam, giving her a respectful nod as if to say 'well played' without words to her. Zelda returned his nod, and as the exchange occurred, Link, who'd been impressed, heard his mother whispering to him, "Triforce of Wisdom."

Link just grinned over her silently spoken comment, then listened as Hadinaru started again, "When we receive Althor's response, I'll make the formal announcement of their coming to us. In the meantime, I want to ask all houses to offer their suggestions of Ambassador of Hyrule to me, as one does need to be appointed. Take your time to think over this, and we will discuss the position in next weeks session."

Ambassador, Link thought, wondering who in the world would make a good one, even though he wasn't a councilman and hadn't been asked to think over it. While the discussions went on, he considered who might have been chosen, and supposed that someone who was would have certain qualities that would need to be exuded in order to fit the position. So what type of qualities did it take to represent a country and open relations with foreign peoples?

Link could only imagine that being well traveled was one of them. Someone with a knowledge of dialects and customs. Also, they would have to know a good bit of their homeland inside and out in order to serve the duties well enough to fit. A particular charm would also be appreciated in those instances in order to get along better with foreign peoples.

Nabooru, he thought. She'd traveled a lot in her life, had told stories about it, knew, as far as he'd been told, three different languages aside from common speak, and if there was anything to be said about her at all, it was that she definitely had a certain charm about her that normally people couldn't resist. Not to mention she was definitely no stranger to Hyrule, and to top it off, she was already a Sage.

With the thought in mind, Link wondered if Hadinaru would take a personal suggestion for the position from him, and also if Nabooru was inclined to accept. He'd definitely have to consider it either way it went.

Zelda had realized, during the talks of finances, that Link seemed to be deep in thought about something, and she curiously wondered what it could be. But the talk was coming to an end and, before closing the session, announcements were to be made. When Zelda heard her father saying those words, she couldn't help feeling a small stone of anxiousness forming within the pit of her stomach. Several people already knew of her engagement, but not everyone there did, especially not the spectators whom attended the session to watch and listen.

Thankfully, her engagement wasn't the first one to be announced however, Nissandra speaking first on the announcements of efforts when it came to education and other such matters. But she did make the announcement on her daughter, and Zelda knew, as well as Link did, what Nissandra was about to say when she began to speak.

"One of our announcements concerns our daughter, Zelda. There will be a more public announcement on this once plans are formulated, but I would like to announce officially, and with a good bit of pride personally, that she is engaged to be wed to an honorary Knight, one which has done more for us and our Kingdom collectively than we'd ever thought possible for any one person to do."

As with a few of the other announcements, some chattering began, and Zelda could only wonder if it was her imagination, or if that chattering sounded louder to her now. But she looked over at Link when the announcement was made, and saw that he was also looking at the people settled within the Court Hall himself, as if to assess the situation. Nissandra's words drowned the chattering however as she recognized someone, "Yes, Councilman Nolan?"

Nolan, Zelda thought with a soft sigh of breath through her nose. He was a skeptical old man who had very traditional values, and no qualm with letting those values be known - an aspect of his personality which Hadinaru told Zelda was what made him a key councilman, even if several said he had a somewhat unsavory disposition. So she could only imagine what he might say now.

"Have you considered, Your Majesties, that Zelda is your only heir?"

"We have considered it," Hadinaru said, "though our reign on the throne will not end for some time now, so passing on that particular torch needs no specific focus for now."

Nolan did as he normally would, giving those skeptical looks, adding, "Then traditional suitors for Zelda will not be sought out?"

"No, not with her engagement," Hadinaru replied once more. "Though the Princess and her intended have wisely decided not to rush and be wed instantly, there will not be an instance for suiting in Zelda's case."

Nolan pursed his lips, and Link felt a burning desire to speak out, but had to bite his tongue before he did so. Zelda herself didn't like the words the traditional old windbag, as several had come to call him, spoke, but she was immensely relieved when another person was recognized afterwards and told of their support.

"Unlike Councilman Nolan, I know that several of us are approving of the match. I simply wanted the opportunity to comment and wish her, as well as her Knight, the best of luck with their arrangements and marriage."

The lady, who was actually a distant relative of Zelda's by marriage, smiled at her, and Zelda replied, "Thank you, my lady. This is all that we really want, the support of people who we know and care for."

Nissandra smiled over the words, and she allowed more comments or questions to be taken, finally moving onto her next announcement without much of a problem. One she did, Zelda looked over at Link to find him watching her, and she could see he was a little annoyed by some of the things he said just because she knew his expressions so well. She almost couldn't wait to get up and leave now where before she'd been so interested in all of the conversation, just so she could ask Link if he was annoyed over the talks, or if it might've been something entirely different that she hadn't thought of.

But the Court Session would end soon enough. Zelda knew she'd have to stay by her parents for a short while afterwards while everyone began to return to their daily routines, but she also knew that Link would wait for her outside of the Court Hall since they were going to her lesson together that day. In the meantime, she'd just have to wait patiently.

Link, on the other hand, wasn't exactly sure what he was feeling. For one, he was reminded of his duty, and seeing his place now in the Court Hall, unable to defend his engagement, just didn't settle well with him. He knew that, once they were wed, he would have the ability to sit in on sessions as a part of the Royal Bench, but until then, he felt he was at a great disadvantage.

Zelda had spoken for them both, and while he was in complete agreement with what she'd said, as simple as it was, he couldn't help but wish that he'd also been able to give some input somehow. Perhaps a time would come for that later though, and in that moment, he decided to just focus on spending the evening with her like he so wanted to. After all, it wouldn't be too much longer now before Court was dismissed.


	9. Free Time

_Chapter 8 - Free Time_

Link waited for Zelda outside of the Court Hall quietly, having spoken with his mother and Tenio over the happenings during the session before he'd gone to wait. He hadn't let on to either of them that he'd been bothered by anything, because he didn't feel it significant enough to talk about, and simply ready to go to Zelda's lesson with her.

Brahm had stopped briefly while he stood in the chamber outside of the Court Hall to give a hello, and it was amidst a little chatter with the older Hylian that the doors opened and Zelda emerged. Brahm was just walking away from Link when she appeared and headed to him. Link turned to see her and smiled when she gave him a hug, kissing her lips chastely in greeting.

"You did a good job in there. How did you like it?"

Zelda stood back, giving him a slightly sheepish grin that told him all he needed to know. "I enjoyed seeing all of that, and participating. I think it was made better with being able to see you and know that we'd get to spend a little time together afterwards though. So I'm actually glad it's over now."

Link smiled, glad he seemed to make her as happy as he did, and before he could open his mouth to give a response, she added the words, "You know, you looked a little annoyed in there when they announced our engagement."

Link had been annoyed by the thought that they would try to find suitors for her that were, well, suitable in the event that he hadn't already taken her well before any of this had come to play, but like he hadn't discussed it with his mother or his friend, he simply shrugged a shoulder over it now. "Well, that one councilman was making me a little mad I suppose."

"Yes, Councilman Nolan. He has a tendency to do that. He's just a traditional skeptic though who's apparently good on the courts. I wouldn't pay him any mind."

"I know," Link told her in response, though he was somewhat agitated still. He supposed that he was simply protective, as well as possessive, and looking at Zelda now, how beautiful she was with her hair done up, her circlet in place, and the white and blue dress that was short sleeved, completed with her arm length gloves in place, he knew he had a good reason to be. But he didn't want to think about it right then, just the time ahead of them now, so he asked, "Well, are you ready to go to see Impa, my lady?"

With a nod of her head, Zelda opened her mouth to speak when someone asked her name before she could give a response. Turning, she looked back to see one of the councilmen approaching the two of them, the one named Willam who had argued slightly over Althor's intentions in Court. Coming to face him completely, Zelda wondered what he could have wanted as she said, "Hello, Willam. Can I help you?"

He smiled, stopping once he reached them and nodding his head slowly to Zelda. "I'm sorry to interrupt," he began. "I needed to find your father, but he's apparently been compromised. Could you pass word to him that my daughter has suddenly become ill, so I won't be able to join you for dinner this evening?"

Zelda hadn't met the man's daughter, though she'd known he had two daughters and a son, the youngest being three years old, and she was probably prone to catching something from time to time due to her age. With this news, the Princess nodded her head with her enlightenment, replying, "Of course. I'll let him know, I'm sure he'd send you on your way to her now as well, so go be with her. I hope she gets better soon."

"Thank you, Your Highness," the man nodded, then looked at Link and said, "Link, I hope you're well. I also hope you weren't offended by Nolan. He's just a traditional skeptic, so pay him no heed. But I need to go. Thank you again, my lady!"

He was turning to leave as he spoke, and Link called behind him, "Thank you, Willam. Tell Ladia I hope she gets better soon too."

"I will," they heard his response as he left.

Watching him go and once more alone with Link now, Zelda smiled as she looked up her fiancee in his blue jerkin, the color of which she thought was completely suiting given the color of his currently tied back hair, and with a smile, she started, "See? What did I tell you about Nolan?" She chuckled softly because Willam had essentially quoted her word for word, and she took his arm in order to be escorted. "So, let's–" she began, and then was interrupted once more.

The interruptions were starting to get ridiculous now. This time, however, it was Impa who called her name. Link and Zelda turned to see the Sheikah emerging from the Court Hall, and they smiled at her while she stepped over to them, hoping they'd be able to go have her lesson given now and now be interrupted every five seconds anymore.

Once Impa stopped, she asked, "I presume you were about to come and find me?"

"We were actually," Zelda nodded, "I hope you don't mind if Link accompanies us this evening?"

"Oh, no," Impa shook her head, "You're always welcome, Link, whenever you have the time to come." She smiled with those words, then looked at Zelda and added, "However, he won't be joining us this evening."

Impa may as well have just slapped Zelda with a ton of bricks. Unable to figure out why, the Princess frowned in confusion over the statement, and she shook her head, "Why not?"

Impa couldn't help a little smirk when she explained her reasoning. "Because there won't be a lesson this evening. I thought perhaps we'd been working hard lately, and I've been wanting to have dinner with Arden as I'd promised him. So I figured, when I heard from Hadinaru saying to your mother just now that your own dinner with the noblemen would be canceled, I'd give us both an evening to spend a little free time as we want to. Is this agreeable?"

Zelda normally wouldn't have snapped out her answer so quickly, but hearing the dinner was to be canceled, she found that she couldn't help herself in this instance. Nodding her head at Impa almost immediately, she informed the Sheikah, "Oh, of course. I would enjoy that very much actually. But, I do have to ask, why was the dinner canceled? Did you hear Father say?"

"Well," Impa started, looking down the hallway when she spotted Arden coming around the corner before he stopped when he spotted her, and she gave him a nod to let him know that she was coming, finishing her statement to Zelda first, "I'm not entirely sure, I think things just haven't worked out."

"Ah, well I only asked because Willam had a message to pass along that his daughter became ill suddenly. But that sounds fine to me, Impa." Zelda, still holding Link's arm, knew that Arden was down the hall now because she'd glanced back to see what Impa had spied, so she didn't want to keep her waiting, nor did she want to delay her own afternoon. In order to get the both of them going, she finished with, "We can always continue tomorrow."

Smiling at her, then at Link, Impa replied, "Good, then I'll see you both sometime later." Glancing at Link, she added to the Knight, "Take her to do something nice, Link. Get her out of here for a little while. After the job well done in Court just now, she deserves it."

Link, smirking, nodded his head and told her, "Yes, my lady. Have a good time yourself."

Impa promised she would and she went to go join Arden and leave with him, taking his own arm and making a soft chuckle over something he'd apparently said to her while she walked away with him. Watching them both go, Zelda thought it was somehow cute to see them, the logical, sensible, and sometimes even austere Impa with the large, wise cracking, hardened, Arden.

Link had the same opinion, and Zelda heard him commenting, "Well, that was fairly–" and then, he was interrupted.

He didn't have to guess at who it was, knowing the voice of the King from anywhere. But despite this, Link decided that he and Zelda just weren't meant to have a conversation inside of the Palace walls. If it hadn't been for the good news of the freed evening ahead of them, he might've snapped and grabbed his fiancee in order to take off with her in a sprint. But instead, he simply kept his good fortune in mind.

Looking back, seeing Hadinaru who had just called Zelda's name, Link gave his fiancee a comically bland look, and Zelda slowly shook her head while her father headed toward them.

"Zelda, I needed to let you know that dinner is to be canceled," Hadinaru started, but stopped explaining when Zelda started nodding at him before he could finish.

"Yes, Impa just told me as much. Link and I were going to go to the Market in the meantime, unless you needed my attention for something?"

"Oh, no," her father shook his head, combing his fingers through his beard thoughtfully for a moment. "Not at all. But, don't you have a lesson with Impa?"

"No, she told me we could resume it tomorrow because she felt we could both use an evening off."

"Ah," the King nodded, "in that case, you two enjoy yourselves. I'll see you later," he smiled, leaning in to kiss Zelda's cheek. Zelda returned it, thanking him and saying they would be back inside before sundown, and then turned to go with Link down the hallway.

As Hadinaru watched them leaving, he heard his wife approaching him from behind, asking, "Did you find her?"

"Yes, but she already knew," Hadinaru chuckled, turning to face the Hylian Queen. "So, now that we have some time, are you hungry?"

Unwitting to the King and Queen's comments once they were walking away, Link said softly, "Let's go before we can both be shanghaied by someone else."

Zelda, grinning over the thought and excited to know she had an entire afternoon and evening of free time on her hands now - not only that but one to be spent with Link - let him take her hand once they were out of sight of anyone about and she lifted her skirts as they moved down the corridors and into the stairwell at a moderate run. Traversing the steps, Link stopped Zelda at the landing and quietly pushed the door open while she waited, slowly peeking out into the corridor after he'd shushed her with a finger to his lips.

"What are you doing?" Zelda asked softly while watching him curiously.

Link lifted his head back when she asked and turned a playfully serious face toward her, then saying, "The coast is clear."

She started snickering softly in response, moving out into the hallway with him when they both saw a few noblemen coming around the corner at the opposite end, thankfully not in the direction they were going however. So they turned and started walking the other way as quickly as possible before they could be spotted. Surely enough though, one of the men recognized Zelda and called her name, and Zelda looked at Link when he did. They both continued walking, and Link whispered, "Just pretend we didn't hear him."

She smirked and they continued going. The man then called to her more loudly, and when he did, Link snorted and grabbed her hand, starting to run down the hallway. Zelda covered her mouth with her own palm to keep from laughing too loudly, and found herself pulled into the foyer of the Palace's entrance not much longer after that before they ended up outside and heading into the courtyards.

Once they were out there, Zelda allowed herself to laugh a little more loudly and said, as they began to slow down, "Why do I feel as if I have to escape my own home?"

Coming to a stop behind Link when they were essentially home free, trying to catch her breath from their little run, Link turned to face her and replied, "Because you do. I'm kidnaping you, don't you know?"

"Oh yes," she nodded, "someone, please help me, I'm in trouble." The words were spoken completely plainly, proving she was no where near being in dire straights, and definitely didn't want to be rescued.

Link grinned and pushed the gates of the courtyard open, turning to head to the stables with her. Once he knew that no one could see them, he turned and lifted her up and over his shoulder as if he might've been doing exactly as he'd suggested. Her expression was one of shock, but that faded quickly as she let him carry her, only pretending to fuss. "Put me down right now, sir, or I'll have to call the guard."

"Go ahead, I'm a Knight, I outrank them."

He could hear her snickering, and neither of them could help their good moods. They would be able to spend as much time at the Market as they wanted, or come back and stay there, it was up to them to decide for once. Link settled Zelda back onto the ground once they'd reached the stables and he pulled out Epona and Frost for them. While it was true, they might not have to ride the horses at all, they both agreed that having them to use if they felt the desire for it would be better than wanting to go and not having them on hand.

Not long later, Link and Zelda were walking past stands and buildings alike, being offered bargains on goods, and asked to step inside and see the wares a particular shop possessed. At the same time, several people recognized their crowned Princess, and as sometimes happened, Zelda got a few bows. She'd always told the people to stand however, and continue on with their day. Being bowed to made her feel like something she wasn't, even if she actually was - as strange as that sounded - but she just liked to be treated the way everyone else was.

She held Link's hand with her fingers threaded through his as they went, spying several little trinkets at a certain stand that she liked a lot. Link, on the same token, spied a few things he was interested in, along the lines of weapons. In seeing some of the ornamental swords, Zelda remembered something and mentioned to Link that if they wanted, he could show her more swordplay. They'd done a bit of that for a few weeks before things had become too hectic for them to continue, and Zelda had to let the lessons go for a little while.

Link agreed that they could if they felt like it, and while they continued shopping - buying only a few things here and there for one another - Zelda eventually mentioned to Link that she'd like to go riding in the fields of the Palace. The home of the Royals had a vast field to its right side which stood beyond the Market. It was somewhat forested here and there as well as slightly hilly, but during the time of year, when Spring was starting to really warm things up during the daytime even if it still got cold at night, she knew it would be nice to take a ride through with him.

So Link took her in that direction, mounting their horses. Link rode Epona only when he wasn't working, afraid she could become hurt if he took her out with the Knights while she was pregnant, but riding her any other time. It was good to keep her exercised as well, and Epona seemed to enjoy it. After all, it was a lovely day, not many clouds in the sky at all, and after riding through the greenery for a short while and taking in the scenery, the two Hylians settled down in a field for a while.

It was then that Link immaturely started a game of 'tag' with Zelda once they'd dismounted their horses, and Zelda - instead of chasing him - just teleported right in his path as he turned to run away.

Link ran into her, and they fell over, both of them laughing as Link told her that was cheating. Zelda just grinned and gave him a quick kiss on the lips as if to make up for it. Link got quietly considerate when she did, watching her waiting expression to see if the kiss had made it any better, before he told her it didn't.

Zelda gave him a narrowed brow, knowing he was setting her up. Not that she was complaining at all. So she kissed him much more slowly, letting her lips part against his and their tongues met. Slowly, slanting her mouth over his, trying to make it as thorough as possible, she didn't stop until she felt dizzy, which wasn't too completely long considering everything.

Feeling his own dizziness when the kiss broke, Link took a deep breath and gave her a little drunken smile. "Alright, that makes it a little better," he informed her as she settled into his lap more comfortably. "But it's still cheating."

Smirking, Zelda reminded him, "Well, your mother was the one who suggested that if it works then do it."

Link grinned, remembering that line fairly well when she'd tricked Ganondorf all those months ago. It definitely showed that his mischievousness came from her, at least, to a degree anyway, but he didn't have time to consider it when Zelda pushed herself up suddenly as something caught her attention and moved toward an apple tree that stood near them.

"Where are you going?" He asked, pushing himself up also, turning around to face her direction completely.

"This apple tree is already in bloom," she called back to him. "I wonder if there's any apples on it. I just want to see."

She was right, there were blossoms all over the branches, and Link approached quietly, saying, "Be careful, you could get stung by a bee."

It was then that Zelda let a little squeal and grabbed her hand, shaking it as she backed away from the tree. The movement startled Link into moving toward her quickly. Once he reached her, he placed a hand on her shoulder, thinking she might've been stung as he'd suggested, but she suddenly said, "There was a spider on my hand!"

Link stared blankly, his concerned expression going flat, then he suddenly snorted in amusement, backing up before she could turn around and hit him for laughing at her. She did swing around and give him a narrowed brow, but she didn't try to hit him, simply saying, "It's _not_ funny! It was a _spider_!"

"I know," he waved his hands, "I know, but that squeal you let," he started chuckling louder, "it was so girlie."

Zelda gave him a wide eyed stare, wondering what he'd expected. In an attempt to defend herself, she waved her hands as she exclaimed, "Well pardon me for _being_ a girl, Link! I'll try to yell like a man next time. In fact, why don't I get a head start and work up a nice belch to serenade you with?"

Link stopped laughing for a second, trying to imagine that, and no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get the image in his mind. Suddenly he started laughing even, and even Zelda couldn't help her own snickers though she desperately tried to, not wanting to encourage him. So in a last ditch effort to make him stop, she started walking toward him with a pouting expression on her lips as she said somewhat pitifully, "Don't pick at me, Link. I didn't find any apples, _and_ a spider got on my hand."

Link just smiled down at her as she approached him, sobering up from his laughter in seeing the face she was making. Reaching out, placing his fingers beneath her chin, he also reached for the hand where the spider had apparently landed and thread his fingers through hers. "Alright, here, let me make it better," he started, kissing her lips before he turned and looked around.

Zelda wondered what he might do, and she let him pull her along to a patch of soft grass between the trees where a several tiny flowers rested amongst a few taller ones, and he sat down, taking her with him. Reaching out, he picked on of the purple plants for her. First, he inspected it for bugs, which made her grin, and when he didn't find any, he nodded in approval. Handing it to her, she continued grinning and took it with a kiss to his cheek, sitting back as she said properly, "Thank you, sir."

He chuckled over her means of expressing gratitude, watching as she stuck the flower in her hair above her ear. "Oh, that's nice," he complimented her playfully.

"Why thank you," Zelda spoke cutely before she looked down at the smaller flowers of white settled across the grass sporadically. "Link, do you remember when I used to make little flower crowns when we were children?"

He'd just had the same thought when he saw what was in her line of sight, and replied, "Yeah, I was just thinking about that." Watching her pick some of them, she started to make one now, and in seeing this, Link asked, "You're not going to use me as a model again, are you?"

Zelda had legitimately forgotten about doing that to Link when they were six, marching him into the house while he was grumbling in order to show Alma a ring of flowers she'd made into a crown that happened to be too big to fit her own head, but had fit Link perfectly. As soon as he mentioned it, she started laughing, saying, "I remember that! Alma actually gave you candy to make you feel better."

Link shook his head, even though he was grinning, telling her, "It's a good thing none of the other kids ever saw me. They would have picked on more than just my ears."

Snickering softly, Zelda scooted closer to him and continued making her crown, looking at his ears when he mentioned them. It was then that she noticed he'd changed the earrings from gold to silver, and she asked, "Oh, when did you get the new hoops?"

"Oh, I forgot," he sighed. "About two weeks ago, Tenio found them at a market in Duvai. I thought they would look a little better than the gold ones I had."

"Two weeks? I hadn't even noticed," she said, shaking her head. It just went to show how little time they'd had together, and Zelda supposed that it wouldn't change until they were properly married. "They look good, if it means anything now," she told him, offering a smile.

He returned it to her with a nod, listening as she continued when she remembered something else, "Oh, and I forgot to mention, I'm sorry about disappearing this morning."

"It's alright," Link replied with the mention of his awakening without her there, "I mean, my mother woke me."

"Well, she woke me too," Zelda explained.

The news made Link stare at her quietly for a moment. "She did?" He sounded incredulous, couldn't really help himself, and he watched her adding another flower to her crown with a somewhat sheepish nod of her head. Link looked to the side in surprise and pursed his lips a little. "She didn't even mention anything to me about it."

"Well, she said she wasn't angry. She trusts us, and knows we're responsible." Zelda was just finishing the headdress she'd been putting together and she lifted it up and stuck it on Link's head playfully without warning, snickering as she sat back and added. "Now! All done!"

When she looked at his face, she couldn't help but laugh, seeing the flattest expression she had in a long time over what he was wearing, completely unamused. As she laughed, he watched her, pursing his lips to the side, then he suddenly pointed and said in warning, "Zelda, there's a spider on your shoulder!"

The reaction she gave was immediate. "Ahh! Where!?," she asked quickly, jumping into his lap almost so he could brush it off for her, cringing until she realized he'd been lying because she heard him snickering. Slowly, her own face went flat, and she turned and pushed on him, saying, "That's not funny, Link! Spiders are _not_ funny!"

"Hey, you're the one who stuck a flower crown on my head."

"So?"

"So, I don't do flowers."

They both got quiet, staring at one another, and suddenly started snickering loudly. This was exactly what they both needed so badly. Just a chance to be with one another and talk, be themselves again, instead of completely absorbed by duty as they'd become recently. They hadn't even really shared many kisses or done anything at all that could have been considered bad or devious, they'd just been blissfully unaware of anything more important than a little spider or a flower crown.

And it was wonderful.

"You know, I think Epona's going to have a girl," Zelda suggested when they both stopped snickering long enough to notice something like that.

"Why do you say that?" Link asked, watching his horse grazing with hers curiously.

Zelda shrugged, "I don't know, honestly. I'm just guessing."

Link smirked, considering it for himself, then told her, "I'm going to say boy just to disagree with you."

"You're mean," she informed him playfully, pushing on his shoulder again. Link chuckled, slipping his arms around her waist once she stopped, looking her face over. He couldn't help himself and leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"This will make it better," he said, turning the tables on her from what she'd done to make up for cheating earlier. Zelda blushed and closed her eyes, letting him wander his lips across her fair skin, down to her jaw, placing gentle kisses against it in a soft manner that made shivers run through her neck and down her back. Her smile slowly faded, those kisses reaching her throat, and she felt those shivers growing stronger, rolling across her skin beneath the bodice of her dress. Lips parting, she took a deep breath and slipped her arms more tightly around his sides.

"Link," she whispered, "you should probably stop that."

She really had to force herself to say it, but she was still in a good enough control of her wits that she knew she could without missing too much.

Hearing a slight groan once she'd told him that, Link replied, "I know," as he sat back slowly, looking down at her, taking in a deep breath. "I can't help it sometimes though."

Her eyes met his when he said those words, and she nodded in her understanding. She wished he didn't have to help it, wished they were married already so they could have all of the time in the world together, and no one could say anything to them about it. With the thought in mind, she blushed slightly, asking, "Would it make me bad if I said that sometimes, I want to," she felt as if she couldn't finish her sentence off, blushing even more deeply over the thought of what she was suggesting. Finally, casting her violet blue gaze down at her lap, she whispered, "you know."

"No," Link told her honestly, "it would just make you normal."

She'd figured as much, but wanted to know his opinion over it. But another curiosity wandered into her mind, and with it, she asked, "You want to as well, don't you?"

Link didn't have to consider it to know the answer. "I can't lie," he replied, his voice just as hushed as hers had been, "I wanted to last night when you came to my room. I think I'll always want you like that."

The admission had her blushing, and she couldn't help it, even if they'd already made love and spent a good deal of time kissing whenever they got the chance to. Hearing him saying that made her heart skip a beat somehow, and she slowly lifted her hand to push his hair out of his face, somehow knowing he was right, and it was just natural to yearn for those sorts of things. But the fact that he wanted her that way somehow flattered her in a sense, and she knew that he also appreciated her equal desire for his touch as well.

Zelda took a slow breath, and - tired of pushing all of her desires away - she lifted her head up to his and kissed him again. Somehow, Link seemed to expect that coming, closed his eyes in acceptance of the kiss and pressed his hand against her jaw to hold her there. He tightened his opposite arm around her back to pull her closer, and Zelda made a little moan into the kiss, feeling her chest flattening against his own through her dress.

Laying back slowly, taking her with him on the slightly hilly incline, she broke the kiss to turn her head and press her lips down against his throat, giving him the same treatment she'd received a moment before. Her hand came to rest against his chest, slipping up against his jaw slowly, and she heard his groan of enjoyment in response as he spanned his fingers along her sides, winding his arms around her back.

Opening his eyes and taking a deep breath, he glanced his blue eyes up at her when she lifted her head. His hand had wandered beneath her breast and stopped, which was apparently the reason she'd looked at him as she breathed out, "I don't mind."

She knew he didn't want to take things too far. But just being with him was making it impossible for her not to want him to take those liberties that he in turn wanted to do without even thinking about it. So when he'd stopped, she gave him permission to continue.

Link had to use caution, because if he went too far, he wouldn't want to stop, maybe even be able to, but he let himself give in for this moment. His hand moved up to cup the soft mound hidden within her bodice, and he watched her eyes closing as she inhaled and leaned back down to kiss him again. Arousal began to flow through the both of them, and Link rolled onto his side so that she was slightly beneath him, squeezing his hand against the sensitive breast and pressing up on it, lips locked against hers while he slanted his mouth slowly.

She'd pushed her fingers into his hair with a gentle moan, held his hand where it was to tell him not to stop, warmth flooding her body like it hadn't in a good while before then. She could feel her body responding to him completely, her nipples growing hard contained within the fabric, and when he brushed his fingers over it, she gasped in her breath, the kiss breaking gently as she whispered his name.

If they went on like that, she knew what would come, and so did he. Panting, she whispered, "I'm sorry, it just felt so good to have your touch again."

He was panting himself, knowing exactly where she was coming from as the ardor that had burned to life within him threatened to take over. He had the mind in that moment that, if they were trying to do things right until they were properly wed, then perhaps he could, as she'd done, cheat just a little - but he definitely wasn't in the right spot for that, not out in the open fields like they were. If someone happened upon them, well, he didn't even want to think about the repercussions.

"Don't be sorry," he replied, his lips against her ear, making her dizzy as he spoke, "I enjoyed your touch again too." He'd slowly sat back, and helped her to sit forward with him. Once she was settled there, gazing up at him, he added, "Besides, we're out in the open, and anyone could happen upon us."

She nodded, her hand still resting against his face. Sighing out her breath, she asked softly, "Do you think that this is what we miss? I mean most of all?"

He wasn't sure he understood her completely, asking, "You mean sleeping together?"

"Well, yes, that and just being able to show our affections freely."

He had to consider that, and after a moment, shook his head, "I think that's a part of it, but more so, I think it's just something we want again. I think we miss it, but not the most."

She was glad he said that, worried that - even though she really hadn't been consumed by the thought of it as many people tended to become - in allowing him to touch her like she had, it might've meant she'd missed him for the wrong reasons. She did love him, very deeply, and simply missed his company most times, but with the flood of sensation rekindled in her like it had just been, she couldn't help but consider it all.

Link kissed her temple, knowing he wasn't going to let her go any time soon despite the fact that they'd just had to slow down a good bit. With his hand against her opposite cheek, pressing his lips to her pointed ear and pressing a kiss against it, he told her, "I love you so much, Zelda, everything with you is what I miss."

She'd gripped his shoulder and dug her fingers into the back of his blue jerkin, completely dizzy from the way he was giving her attention, unable to do much more than whimper his name out and lean against him. Did it have to feel so good, make her so sotted nearly? He continued those nibbling sensations against her ear until she really couldn't stand it anymore and grabbed him tightly, burying her face against his neck.

He held her tightly in turn, listening as she whispered her own love out to him, more content than he had been in a good long while. Threading his fingers into her hair, his eyes opened slowly, and while he was more than content to shush her, stare down at her, he couldn't help but notice something in the distance, glinting slightly.

Spotting some slight movement, his brows narrowed, and he could have sworn he saw a horse riding away. Something in him told him that whatever it was - especially thinking of the scandals that could be caused having the Princess, his recently announced fiancee, with him out here alone - they needed to go back to the Palace and continue the rest of their evening there.

"Link?" Zelda asked the question when she'd looked up and saw the expression on his face, turning her head to glance back. "What is it? Did you see someone?"

"I think so, but I don't know who," he replied honestly, pushing himself up from the soft grass with her. "Let's go back to the Palace. We can read or find something else to do there."

Zelda knew the expression on his face meant that he wasn't too happy with whatever he'd seen, and she nodded in agreement with him. "Alright," she spoke softly, kissing his jaw and then turning to go and collect their horses with him.

Once Frost and Epona were gathered again, and the two went riding back toward the Palace, Link considered what he'd seen, the glinting light and what he thought was a horse, denoting a rider. The glint had to have come from something metallic or shiny, but what he had no clue. A guard was his best guess, one who'd ridden out to patrol, and didn't want to interrupt the two of them. But somehow, that just didn't make much sense.

Still, it was the most logical explanation, and for the time being, Link decided not to question it. He'd simply have to mention it to one of his parents later and see what they thought. For the time being though, he just wanted to enjoy the rest of his evening.

---

_Those Hylians wouldn't know a single thing. But they must have been the ones who'd set the Kingdom's restoration into motion. Link and Zelda, such a happy little pair. Hyrule's pride and joy, though which was which could have been anyone's guess._

_Funny, to look at them, you wouldn't think they were so formidable. Still, if rumor was correct, they'd brought down Ganondorf himself. Such a tale had to be paid heed, otherwise overconfidence could cause ruin. Never, ever judge a book by its cover._

_Still, they'll have to be avoided if things are to go as planned. Perhaps a little distraction would be in order. After all, they seem to be quite in love. Tossing a kink into that relationship should keep them preoccupied long enough to have done what we need._

_After all, what Royal would be with a Knight, a mere servant of the Courts and not even a member? It shouldn't be too difficult to slip something between them. While they're busy trying to keep themselves steady together, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out exactly what is needed to be done._

_Hyrule will fall. It's only a matter of time._


	10. Seeking Avenues

_A/N: Just a quick note to let those of you interested know that I have some art up on my DA page of the main character introduced in this chapter, Risek. My DA is giegie . Deviantart. Com without all of the spaces, and if you want to find the image, just go to my digital drawing gallery. Just an fyi, especially since I have some Zelink fanart up over there too lol xD!_

---

_Chapter 9 - Seeking Avenues_

The room was quiet, perhaps a little too quiet, dark, only lit by a few candelabra's on the walls here and there. The silence led to a much easier hearing of the sound of raspy breathing coming from the bed. The Althorian King laying there was currently asleep, resting soundly for once despite the soft snore he made from time to time, leaving his oldest son to sit quietly and think, bent forward with his arms against his upper knees in a chair near the bed while he gave his sleeping father company. His face was downcast at that moment in time, and he was deep in thought, black hair hanging around his face, eyes currently closed.

Prince Risek Miason was who many called a Prince of Stone, a man of few words. Now was exceptionally no different - his angular face showed nothing of what he was feeling or thinking on the inside - though he wasn't aloof by far. Risek only seemed to be a man of few words to so many people due to his nature of choosing carefully whom he let in close, and due to this, his reputation of the Prince of Stone had been born.

But despite the austere front he put up to most people, on the inside right now, he was screaming.

His father had been ill for just over a month. Sometimes, at his worst, he coughed up blood and ran a high fever, and other times he acted completely fine. It was indeed a puzzling illness, and the shamans seemed perplexed by it. One thing Risek had noticed as well was that, at his worst, Seriun didn't act himself one bit, not even to act the persona of a sick father as Risek had witnessed on other occasions. Instead, he became almost violently angry, had thrown whatever he could reach for, and cursed both of his sons for all of the things they had done to him. Normally, Seriun never cursed their sister due to the fact that she hadn't been about during one of those outbursts, as far as Risek knew anyway.

But it nearly killed Risek to hear those words whenever they were spoken. His brother was only thirteen, and the two of them had always meant the world to Seriun. So Risek knew the illness was affecting his person as well as his body. Some of the shamans had disagreed, but Risek insisted on this to them all. Gabriel - his brother - wasn't old enough to remember any other time that his father had been ill, so the older brother had to reinforce the claims that something in the illness had affected the King's very person.

For now though, Seriun was peaceful, hadn't had an attack for nearly a week, and his oldest son could only hope this meant tremendous improvement was coming. If Seriun was, in fact, dying after all, Risek couldn't bear to watch him suffering any longer. No matter what they disagreed on or didn't see eye to eye with, over a month of this kind of illness would have never been a thing that Risek would have wished on his father.

Another reason for the Prince's current emotional distress was that recently, he'd lost his best friend, a Knight named Marcelle. They'd known one another since they were children, and even though Marcelle had been born to a maid and a farmer who'd eventually become a Knight himself, Marcelle had risen to become the first in command of the Althorian Knights, even though he was only twenty two years old, a year younger than Risek.

He was a good man, and not only had he died and very mysterious and premature death, Risek had to take the task of informing Marcelle's younger sister, Anamirian - whom everyone called Mirian that knew her well - that her brother and only family had passed away in an attack by unknown culprits, under unknown circumstances.

Risek made it his personal task to find the ones responsible for Marcelle's death. There wasn't even a body for his best friend to have buried, and the Knights had searched the area thoroughly. Magic was believed to be the source of this, and the only thing that had ever been recovered from his best friend was his weapon, a sword that had been in his family - though scarcely used - for generations. This aside, Risek tried to take into account the mission the Knights were on when all of this happened. There had been a few strange reports about riders spotted in the mountain pass of the Ancient Kingdom, which were forbidden lands to be tread upon by Royal decree.

But with Seriun's illness at hand, investigation into the matters had fallen behind. The rumors of spotting riders had since ceased, and Risek feared he would never bring his best friend's murderer to as long as the bureaucrats sat and dictated action in the King's stead to Risek and deemed the investigation not a top priority at the time to look into.

Considering this, Risek lifted his face and opened his peridot green eyes, looking over at his father's peaceful face through black hair that was cropped around his temples. Because of the loss of his best friend, and simply due to his love for his father, Risek wanted to see Seriun recover more than anything now, enough that he had no choice in the matter currently, and was far too weighed down with responsibility toward the people of his Kingdom to do so anyway. If Marcelle's death was never brought justice to, Risek would have to make up for that with a vow to keep his sister safe, something he wouldn't have a problem doing since, like Marcelle, he'd known Anamirian since she was a baby herself, even if they didn't talk as much as he had with Marcelle.

But Risek's thoughts came back to the present before they could wander too far off, settling on the sleeping visage of his father once again. Seriun had been asleep for nearly two hours, and Risek hadn't moved a muscle. He'd only sat there in the bedside chair, watching, waiting, thinking, and trying to come to conclusions. Risek hadn't gone initially for just a visit however - he had actually been summoned. But when he'd arrived, his father had fallen asleep, and so he'd decided, with nothing else to do, that he would sit at the bedside and simply wait for him to awaken, even if it took all night.

Conclusions seemed far and long away however. Risek didn't know what to think, only that he had to continue holding the torch up in his father's stead until the King could recover. The responsibility was great, but Risek would never allow himself to stumble, especially not when the things he cared about was involved.

With a somewhat soft sigh over those notions and lowering his head again, he heard his father's slight cough, then the raspy voice that followed it, speaking his name, "Risek?"

Looking up again almost immediately, the raven haired Prince pushed himself up straight and looked at his father's face. "Yes, Father, I'm here." He reached over and took Seriun's hand to further prove that.

Seriun opened his blue eyes and looked up at his son. Slowly, a smile worked its way onto his weakened features, a look saying he was glad to see his son there. Nodding his head slowly, he spoke again in question, "Did I fall asleep before you could arrive?"

"Yes, so I let you rest. I wanted to be here."

Seriun, still smiling, whispered, "That's no good. You should be out and about, not weighted by an ailing relative."

His son glanced down, knowing his father's worry for his own well being, even in the face of sickness and possible death. Risek shook his head of black hair slowly over the notion. "I would not enjoy myself, knowing how sick you are."

"This is why I'm trying to recover. This illness does no one any good."

Looking back up with peridot green eyes, a trait he recieved from his mother, Risek looked his resting father's face over. It made him feel better to hear this, but even worse as well. He didn't want his father pushing too hard for recovery, otherwise he might become even more weakened.

"Rest, Father." Risek said as he squeezed his father's hand. "Until then, I'll continue my efforts in your stead."

"Yes, I know," Seriun sighed out. "You and Gabriel are my true gems. You'll make me proud, whatever you do Risek." Looking over at his son, taking in a breath, he added, "That's why I asked for you to come here. Ambassador Arrik and I have a need for your help."

"Name it, Father."

Before he could, Seriun began to have another coughing fit, tensing up slightly over the agitating bursts of air from his lungs, and Risek grabbed a clean clothe from the bedside to hold to his mouth, moving onto the bed in order to lift him a bit so there wouldn't be much strain. Seriun didn't fight him, simply allowed him to help, unable to do anything else in that moment. Risek, had he not been so weathered, might have felt the need to cry as he knew his little brother would or even his sister might, but he knew that strength was needed more than sadness, and he wouldn't allow himself to become weak in front of the King in that manner, father or not.

Once the coughing had died down, Risek pulled the clothe away, expecting to see blood, and was gratefully relieved whenever he saw no red staining the white material. Nodding in approval, he informed his father of that, and Seriun seemed to be pleased also.

"Good, I was hoping," Seriun began, then wheezed and cleared his throat. Risek settled the clothe away and took a glass of water, which Seriun thanked him for before he took a long drink.

If anything, Risek could say that his bedside manner had grown by leaps and bounds during the past month or so, and lowering the glass from Seriun's lips, he turned to set it down again, listening as his father continued with his words. "But speaking of the assistance I need, I want to know, do you remember King Hadinaru?"

The words made Risek lift a brow. "The King of Hyrule?" Seeing the nod his father made of affirmation, Risek replied, "Yes, I remember him vaguely. Why?"

"I asked you once your thoughts on reuniting our Kingdoms as allies. I remember you seemed to disagree with the thought at the time I mentioned it to you."

Risek slowly nodded, "At the time, you were becoming ill. I didn't think such an endeavor should be worried over when I sensed how badly you felt most times."

Seriun had closed his eyes, resting, nodding his head. "I know. But I can't ignore issues, even in sickness. This is important to me as well. Hadinaru will always be my friend, and I feel obligated to him to reunite Hyrule and Althor, and offer aide however possible. Word has reached me that they're sending a response to our request, and I have high hopes. I needed to ask you now, my son, when that word arrives, will you be ready to travel in my stead?"

Risek had reluctantly agreed to do so before, knowing how important it was, and understood that Seriun now simply sought an affirmation that his son would fulfill his wishes, even if it meant leaving his side during illness as he would have to do. Wanting to give his father that peace of mind, he said, and much more promisingly this time, "Yes, as we'd discussed, I'll go for you as you used to travel on good faith yourself."

"Good," Seriun nodded slowly. "Your sister and her husband can handle the affairs here while you are away. I know your faith in Charlain is less than complete, but Lukas will be the proprietor in your absence."

Risek knew as much. Charlain was much too concerned with things such as appearance, social functions, and gossip to have handled the affairs on her own. Lukas, the Grand Duke of Meley, was much more capable, and Risek was extremely glad the marriage had been arranged five months prior now. If his eighteen year old sister was to be left in charge of the state while he was away, he was have absolutely refused to go.

Still, his father apparently had one more request for his son, lifting his hand to catch his attention, distracting him from his thoughts of his less than lead-capable sister. "There is one more thing, Risek."

"What is that?"

His voice was quiet and almost sage like as he spoke his answer. "I would like for you to ask of the Princess Zelda. While I understand I sound as our archaic councilmen would to suggest such a thing, a match between the two of you could unite our Kingdom's much more solidly, and I fear for Althor's future. Hyrule is much more steady now despite the recent turmoil there, Hadinaru's resolve nearly unbreakable since his liberation from slumber and he will no doubt stop at nothing to restore his Kingdom if only for his families welfare, not to mention his long suffered people under the tyranny they had to endure. The people are much more patriotic than they've grown to be here, and this worries me. So many years of peace for us has me fearing that we've forgotten one another and what it means to be a Kingdom, to be united. Therefore, if it's a plausible avenue for unification, I would like to look into it. Ask Hadinaru of her, he will not be insulted, as you well remember I'd mentioned this very thing to you as a child."

Risek remembered when he was a young boy, leaving Hyrule, that his father mentioned to him that if Queen Nissandra had a girl as she'd suspected she would, the Princess could very well have been his future wife. Risek was four at the time, but somehow that particular conversation stood out to him. He remembered informing his father that he would never marry a _girl_ in the typical boy fashion, and the sound of his father's laughter over the comment was etched into his head as if it had been branded there permanently.

Though, later, they'd learned she'd birthed a son, which was apparently a lie all along, so this thought for unification was never a possibility. With the truth exposed now, however, Risek did realize that what his father wanted was to find any way to restore the alliance between friends, and a royal marriage would have been a very good way to do so. Still, Risek was unsure it would be possible, though if it entailed duty, he would have to at least see whether or not it was.

"What if this is not possible, father?" He had to ask that, wanting to know just what Seriun might say.

"Then it is not possible," the King replied. "You've no need to worry over it. There are other avenues to be sought."

They were simply seeking those avenues, Risek considered, and he nodded. Perhaps it would work, and perhaps it wouldn't, that would just have to be seen later he supposed, but on a personal level, he was unsure of how much he really liked the idea for various reasons.

"Was there anything else?," Risek asked then after his thoughts and a bit of silence had passed between the two of them.

"No," Seriun replied, "but you'll be leaving once word have finally arrived. I want you to be prepared for it."

Nodding his head, Risek promised, "I'll do all that I can, both for my father and my lord, as well as his people."

The words from his son made Seriun smile. Content that he'd put his father's mind to rest for now, Risek pushed himself up, making sure his father was properly comfortable once again. Once he'd done so, he asked, "Shall I leave you to rest?

"Yes," Seriun nodded, "I _am_ rather weary this evening."

With a nod, Risek slowly tugged his hand from Seriun's and placed it comfortably next to him, then turned to head to the door, considering what they'd just spoken of on the way. Stepping into the corridor outside of the King's chamber in the dark blue tunic he wore which sported a raised neck around his throat with patterns etched on each collar and down the front toward the waistline, though he was lacking any royal attire due to the situation being casual, Risek looked back when he noticed someone coming toward the room, carrying a tray.

She herself was dressed in a servants outfit, a dark blue dress with an apron and a bonnet on her head that concealed her hair, which Risek knew was a blood red color and quite long. She stopped walking and looked up when she saw his shadow. When her golden colored eyes spotted the Prince, she addressed him quietly.

"Your Majesty, is the King awake? I hate risking his sleep in order to bring him dinner."

"He is awake, Mirian," Risek replied just as quietly to the girl who was his best friend's sister, stepping to the door of the chamber in order to open it for her. Then he continued, "Though tired, but I believe he may be a little hungry as well."

With a nod of her head, deciding not to argue with him once again about opening the door for her, feeling she was being treated specially because of his relationship with her departed brother, Mirian replied, "Thank you, my Prince," and she turned to step into the room with the tray of food she was carrying, allowing Risek to shut the door behind her.

Once it was latched, Risek turned and began walking down the hallway with a sigh, deciding that he needed some time to himself without thought of anything, knowing that Mirian would take good care of Seriun while she was with him. Even when the King had his temperamental spells, oddly enough, Risek could never remember him having harmed the young woman or yelled at her, or even tried to anyway.

In fact, now that he thought about it, he stopped and glanced back with narrowed brows. Every time one of Seriun's aggressive attacks had ended, it had when Mirian was there. Her presence seemed to soothe him somehow, and that only made Risek curious. What could it be about her that seemed to make him feel so at ease, or was it just a fluke that Risek was clinging to in the search to find a way to make his father get better?

Unsure, Risek made a mental note to continue watching while he was there, in order to see if he was right or if he was dreaming things up, clinging to straws and nothing more.Hopefully he would be able to see for himself before word could arrive from Hyrule and he had to make his departure.

Somehow the notion told him that he really was simply being desperate however. Mirian was a sweet young lady, so her temperament was probably the reason for it all. With that determination in mind, taking in his breath, he walked toward the royal study where he'd been working before his father had sent a servant in order to summon him.

Once he reached the door to that particular room after having moved through the stairs and corridors and he drew it open, Risek looked up to spot a familiar face, that of the Ambassador Arrik, whom also happened to the Archduke of Meley and Lukas's father. Meley was a large province in Althor, it's area being one of the more inland settlements the Kingdom sported. It was also the largest province outside of Althor's harbor town, Lenx Fas, which were the Althorian words for "Blue Sea".

When Arrik spotted the door opening however, he turned to face the emerging Prince. He was close to his fiftieth season in the world, and had white hair already, which he kept tied back into a ponytail which revealed his pointed Althorian ears. The difference between looks when it came to Althorians and Hylians was that the ears pointed up instead of out and to the sides as the Hylian's did. Also, Althorians were a bit taller - though not by a marginal degree - than Hylians, and a final difference were that members of the race were emphatic instead of telepathic as Hylians tended to be.

There was a neatly trimmed beard on Arrik's face as well, giving the man a distinguished, and perhaps well-weathered look. His clothing was decorated with his station as Ambassador and Archduke, denoting he may have just left some type of formal function and had yet to change into more casual attire yet. Nonetheless, he greeted Risek with the smiled words, "Ah, Risek, I was wondering if perhaps you'd went to go see your father, and thought I'd wait here for your return to receive the verdict."

"I did," Risek replied, a very small smile on his lips, as Arrik had been like a second father to him on many occasions. "I haven't changed my mind. I'll be traveling to Hyrule with you."

"Good," Arrik replied, seeming very pleased as he stepped over to the Prince who was a head taller than he was. "Seriun always wanted to go whenever he could, and Hadinaru I've heard came here with his wife on several occasions as well. This should be exactly what we need for this endeavor."

"I hope so," Risek replied, his face once again the expressionless visage it typically was despite the fact that he knew Arrik very well. "I'm also looking forward to learning more about Hyrule and seeing it again finally."

With a smile, Arrik slowly nodded his head. Lifting a hand and placing it on Risek's shoulder, he spoke, "I'm sure things will go as we all want them to. But you know, I'm concerned as well. I didn't just come by to ask about that, but I also wanted to make sure that you yourself were fairing well."

In the face of the Ambassador's concern, Risek gave a nod, telling Arrik, "I'm as good as can be expected, my lord. Thank you."

The reply caused Arrik to grin, chuckling out, "Always so polite and formal. You should know you don't have to address me properly in private, son."

"Yes," Risek replied, turning to walk to the desk, "I know that. I'm simply trying to keep a proper perspective. Was there anything else you needed, though?"

"No," Arrik shook his head with a kind smile. "Finish your work and rest. We'll talk again soon."

Risek gave him a nod, then watched him, after bidding a good night, leaving the room. Once the door was shut, Risek sighed and glanced down at the desk where he'd been sitting before. What we all wanted, he thought of what Arrik had mentioned over Hyrule, and then turned his head to the side. He wished he could be certain of that completely. After all, he wanted things he knew shouldn't be allowed, and so he also knew that, as much as he hated to admit it, there was a part of himself that loathed what they were trying to accomplish because it put him at such a disadvantage.

But now wasn't the time. He was, in fact, ready to rest after all, so he could save those thoughts for later, more specifically when he'd gone to Hyrule and found out exactly how the pieces were going to be moving. After all, as loathe as he was to leave, he was also interested in finding out what awaited him there.


	11. Changes

_Chapter 10 - Changes_

Link had to make a stop by the Knight's Barracks when he and Zelda arrived at the Palace once again. He was looking for his father after asking a guard if the man knew what happened to him. The guard, who'd been standing his station at the Market near the gates that entered into the Palace Yards, said Lyonel had come through with his wife earlier, and he'd heard the Hylian mentioning that he needed to stop to pick something up, telling Myriad to head on back.

Link rode toward the Barracks with Zelda after thanking the guard for the information, and he dismounted, walking to the door. The Barracks were situated just outside of the Market on a slightly inclined cobblestone path with a few other buildings, which included homes and, down the road a ways, the Barracks for the guards.

It was a lovely street, people's homes sporting flowers in the windows, and some of the walls had vines growing up their sides. Zelda wondered though if the plants would suffer any however because there was a chill on the breeze that promised the evening and night would be a cold one. While she thought about this and waited for Link on Frost's back since he wasn't going to be very long inside, she looked up to see her handmaiden, Keesa, walking down the road, and a very familiar fairy friend was with her.

"Keesa?"

Looking up, the handmaiden blinked as she came to a stop in some slight surprise, exclaiming, "Oh! Your Highness! I didn't expect to see you here. Did you come with Link?"

"Yes, he just went inside," she replied, then gave the handmaiden a knowing smirk. "Did you come to see a certain Knight?"

Keesa looked down in embarrassment and Nissa, fluttering over her shoulder, giggled and called out, "Yep! She did!"

"Nissa!," Keesa exclaimed, "I thought you said you'd keep quiet."

"Everyone knows anyway, Keesa! It's alright."

Smiling, Zelda looked back at the front of the building she was settled near on her horse, seeing the doors opening again. She thought Link might've already found his father, but she was surprised when she saw a balloon flying out and onto the pavement of the cobblestone road, filled with water with exploded everywhere, then promptly heard someone yelling as if they'd been hit. Link ducked outside once this happened - though he was as dry as a bone - his brows narrowed while he looked back at the portal he'd just ducked from for cover.

"Doyle! Call a truce with me, I just need to find my father."

Link subsequently heard snickering, looking up to see Zelda covering her mouth as she let the sound out. The Knights were apparently enjoying their afternoon as well, and glancing down at fiancee, she asked him, "Should I offer some aide?"

"Normally, I might say yes," he replied, "but this is personal. Besides, these guys would never let me live it down."

"Have it your way," Zelda said with a smirk, and she watched as Link ran back inside, hearing a clash just moments afterwards, followed by his yell of Doyle's name again. Laughter ensued from the Knight that Keesa had come to see, and the off duty handmaiden stepped over to stand near Frost with Nissa fluttering above her. All three ladies cringed when they heard Link laugh as if he'd gotten the upper hand somehow.

Zelda had an idea to help bring this little war to an end however, and she glanced down at Keesa, saying, "Keesa, call Doyle out here."

Keesa, glancing up at Zelda, and then at the door, heard Link calling out, "How does it feel to have the tables turned, Doyle?" Another balloon flew from the door and splashed onto the pavement just afterwards followed by a thud as if someone had jumped out of the way, and with a sigh, the dark haired handmaiden shook her head.

"Doyle? Is it safe for you to come out here for a moment?"

Things got quiet inside, and only a moment after that silence began, it broke with Link's exclamation, "Oh no ya don't!," followed by a splatter and Doyle's yell of the words, "Ah, that's cold!"

Doyle made it outside with a soaked jerkin, wearing the red one the Knights possessed because he'd had field duty that day, and he stumbled against the wall. Link appeared behind him with a water balloon in his hand which he tossed up and down, a grin on his face as he snapped his fingers as if to say he'd one upped Doyle, still as dry as he had been when he'd walked into the Barracks to begin with. Looking at Zelda, he tossed the water balloon to her with the words, "Hold onto this so they can't try anymore ambushes."

Zelda smiled, catching the water balloon without much of a problem, and Link shut the door behind him while Doyle called, "I'm going to get you one of these days, Link!"

Zelda was trying not to snicker too much. She'd heard a few rumors flying about that Link was the only Knight to have so far avoided attack with water balloons, and when she asked Lyonel about the playful fights, Lyonel explained that he allowed them to do so because he felt it kept them all on their toes. Lyonel himself had been ambushed one day riding up to the Barracks in the morning, so Zelda could only imagine that the rules were simply no holds barred. If you could get someone, then you took the chance.

She couldn't help but think on the other hand as well that it was somewhat immature, but in seeing this, she knew Lyonel was right. Apparently it probably was a good exercise for them all to keep aware. Not to mention, they would probably have to clean up afterwards, so she knew that there was a level of responsibility attached to it as well. With the thought in mind, she just smiled and waited for Link to emerge from speaking with Lyonel, holding onto the water balloon while she looked across the way.

Doyle and Keesa had adjourned toward the side of the building in order to speak in private she noticed, and with nothing to do, Zelda passed a few idle comments to Nissa.　　It took Link about five minutes, but he finally emerged with Lyonel behind him, talking to him about the issue he'd come to see him over. Zelda only picked up on a few of the words however, but one of the terms they seemed to be discussing was 'white riders', and she remembered the article she'd read in the Lon Lon Herald about the topic, wondering curiously why Link might've been discussing it with him now for.

Bidding a good evening to Lyonel as he left, Zelda looked at Link whom went to Epona and mounted her, asking, "What was that all about?"

Looking over, Link started to explain,　"Sometimes the Knight's like to ambush one–"

"No, I mean the conversation with your father," she interrupted. "I've heard about the water balloons."

"Oh," Link nodded his head in understanding now, "nothing really. Just mentioning what I saw out in the fields to him. I spoke with a man in Lon Lon Ranch recently who'd seen riders, and I couldn't help but wonder if what I saw earlier could have been related. I just wanted to let Father know about it before we went back to the Palace."

Zelda couldn't help herself, asking, "White Riders?"

They'd turned their mounts, heading down the cobblestone road now, and Link glanced over when Zelda mentioned the phrase. Nodding his head, he asked, "Did you read the Herald?"

"Yes," she nodded, "but what I read told that the rider's had always been spotted to the southern regions of Hyrule."

"I know," Link told her, "but that's why I don't know if I saw what everyone else has, or something completely different. I just wanted to let Father know to be safe."

"I see," Zelda replied, and as he began to focus on riding, Link suddenly felt the splattering of a water balloon against his back, the brief chill making him jolt a bit.

"Hey!"

Doyle looked up when he heard that, having just caught the sight of the blue balloon flying toward Link when he wasn't looking, and he started laughing. Zelda was also snickering, and she said, "There's your balloon back, Link."

Doyle laughed even harder, and Link turned a hardened gaze over at him, saying, "She's not a Knight, she doesn't count."

"Apparently she should be," the tall Knight snickered out loudly.

Zelda drew the reigns of her horse up, wondering if she should start running or not, and Link slowly turned his gaze toward her. He looked very playfully angry, and Nissa, who had been snickering just as much as Doyle and Zelda, said, "You'd better run, Princess!"

Zelda laughed and dug her heels into Frost's sides, getting him to ride off quickly, and Link turned Epona to go after her. Riding down the road, not specifically chasing one another, at least, not seriously, Zelda had to slow down so she could turn Frost and head inside of the Palace Gates, then road through the yards and toward the stables. Link wasn't too far behind her, and he knew that Frost would outrun Epona anyway, but he didn't care. The brief ride was nice, even with as chilly in the late evening as it had become, and he stopped just behind Zelda, dismounting and grabbing her from behind before she could get anywhere.

Zelda laughed, calling out, "Link, let go!"

"Nope, and you can't teleport away because you'll just take me with you. So you're stuck now."

Zelda snickered softly, and she looked back at him, asking, "What are you going to do to me, Sir Knight?"

"I'm going to make you have dinner with me. I'm not letting go until you agree. And you can get me a dry tunic."

"Oh? Well, fine, if you're going to be pushy about it," she grinned, "I'll have dinner with you, my lord."

"And the tunic?"

"Well, I'm sure there will be fifty handmaidens waiting on me when I go back inside, so I'll have one of them get it for you. That way you can steal a few kisses if you want."

"Good," he replied with a grin of his own, "and I'll steal one now too," he added, turning and kissing her cheek.

"You awful man," she picked on him when he did, smiling as Link let go of her before going to settle their horses in the stables. Waiting for him to finish, she went to the door and when he walked back out, she took his arm and smiled at him, walking with him toward the gates of the courtyard.

As they went, she remembered their short discussion before about the White Riders, and she asked, "So, what did Lyonel tell you in the Barracks?"

Link, the shadows passing over them as they stepped through the open gate, replied, "He said it could have been a guard, or it could have been someone from the market looking to pick a few wild flowers for selling. So he didn't want me to worry over it too much. He also said he'd send someone out to patrol just incase there was something else going on."

"That's good," Zelda nodded. "I honestly don't know what to make of the story. I mean, it's probably just a bunch of rumors spreading around for entertainment."

"I thought the same thing. But Lindon, the man I met who said he saw them, seemed to firmly believe he had, and wanted to make sure we didn't believe any confabulations about the stories."

Zelda, while they walked up the steps, nodded her head. "The only logical thing I can think of is that perhaps some have seen them, but they're making a mountain out of an octorok hill."

It sounded completely plausible to Link, but there was a part of him that wondered just who these riders were. While he honestly couldn't be sure about what he'd seen in the fields, he knew that there was a chance, even if it was slim, that it could have been related. Something also told him that, being inside of the walls of Hyrule Town - the outer walls which encompassed the Palace as well - that if that slim chance was actually the case and those riders had ventured in this close to the Palace, they might have been hearing something more over the sightings fairly soon.

But he figured that his Father was right, and it was a soldier, or just someone from the Market, finding little items from the field for use in selling or what not. The only thing that he hoped in turn was that he hadn't been spotted with Zelda, and some vicious rumor started spreading.

A short while later, they were in one of the private dining rooms having dinner. While they ate, Zelda told Link a little more about the stories she'd read of Boemith the Dragon when he'd asked if she'd had a chance to go through the book anymore, and she admitted she hadn't read as much of it as she would have liked to.

But she had read one story that said the little boy in the tales named Marum had eventually become a Dragon Master. According to the tales, Marum had lived to be a very old man, and Boemith blessed him with the oath to only follow his wish and that of the Royals, as well as granted the boy a portion of his power to use at a young age.

"That sounds pretty nice," Link commented, settling the goblet he'd been drinking from down. "Dragon powers, huh?"

"Yes," Zelda nodded, pushing her fork into some of the meat she'd been eating. "Do you know why I wanted to tell you about that though?"

"Why is that?"

She smiled, having pulled the meat from the fork, a movement Link tried not to notice simply because her lips looked soft and pink, and thinking about their little tryst earlier, he didn't want to tempt himself. But she continued on without notice to the fact that he'd been staring for a moment.

"Well, there was an unnamed figure in the story that was mentioned to help Boemith and his Dragon Master ward off a threat to their Kingdom by sealing away power from the evil that had come into possession of it. Do you know what the story referred to him as?"

Link shook his head, taking another bite of his food. As he chewed it up, Zelda told him, "The Hero of Light."

Link almost choked on what he'd just swallowed, looking over at her with narrowed brows. "Are you kidding?"

"No," she shook her head, snickering softly. "Isn't that interesting?"

"Interesting and," Link lifted a single brow, "kind of creepy."

The words made Zelda chuckle a bit louder, and she settled her fork down, lifting her goblet to finish what was left of it. Once she was done, and pulled the rim of the silver container from her lips, she looked over at him and said, "It makes me wonder if there's truth to these stories after all."

Link had just finished his own food before he replied to her, "Maybe to a degree, something like with those White Riders. The stories are more than likely blown out of proportion."

"Hmm," she thought aloud, finally nodding in agreement. "I think you're right, Link. But I'm looking forward to reading more of the story with you. I don't want to get too far ahead without you."

Link understood that. After all, she'd borrowed the book for the two of them to read together, and now that they were both finished with their meals, they knew it was getting time to go to their chambers. Not wanting their time to end, Zelda glanced over at him, wondering if he had an early start in the morning and needed to get some sleep or not.

Link was apparently having the same line of thought, asking her, "Are you tired?"

Zelda had just covered her mouth with a little yawn when he did, and it made him smile to see. Shaking her head slowly, she replied, "Somewhat, but I don't have to be up too early in the morning tomorrow. What about you?"

"Well, I have to make rounds with Tenio, but that's not until a bit later in the morning."

"Make rounds?" She asked him uncertainly.

"Inspection," Link explained. "We have to go to the soldiers Barracks and make sure everything is being kept up to standards. It's done once a month. We just call it making rounds so the guards won't know when we're coming."

Zelda smiled over the explanation, replying, "Sneaky, I see. Well, how long should that take you to complete?"

"It depends on what we find," Link said, standing up from the table before he walked over to her chair, helping her up as well. "Maybe an hour or two, maybe more. The reports just have to be detailed for Father so he can make the proper amendments. That's usually what takes the longest."

Nodding her head and taking his arm, Zelda began to walk to the door, holding onto his arm while she listened. She felt selfish about asking him to stay at all in order to read more of the book in hearing that he had things to do in the morning, so she decided not to. But she really wanted to. In fact, she almost felt as if she were dying to, and she had the feeling it was because the day with him had been so nice for her. But here they were, taking the same walk to her chambers they did on evenings they'd shared with one another, and she wanted to use a different path, make a turn - do anything she could to make that walk longer than it actually was.

As Link walked Zelda back to her chambers, and if he hadn't known better, he would have said that not only did the whole afternoon, but also the walk back to her quarters seemed much quicker to him than it normally did. Having the same sentiments as she did, he wondered just why it could be that everything sadly seemed so much shorter than usual, already seeing her doors coming up ahead of them.

Coming to a stop with her, he took in a breath, forcing his expression to be even instead of sour. That was when he heard a sigh, and he looked down at Zelda. She had her face tilted forward, nearly refusing to look at him, and he asked, "What's wrong?"

"I really," she started on a soft voice, "really don't want you to go."

When she looked up at him, he could see her eyes glistening as if she might've been close to tears. That was a look he couldn't stand, the same look he could never say no to, and it ate at him. Narrowing his brows and turning toward her, he put his arms around her sides and pulled her in, hugging her tightly.

"Link, it's not fair," she started when he did, "you'll be gone again in the morning, and I...," she trailed off, closing her eyes when she realized how selfish she was being. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so childish."

"You don't sound childish," Link replied, reaching to the door behind her and pushing it open because she sounded like she needed to be alone and out of sight of prying eyes before she started really crying. Walking into the room with her and shutting the door behind himself, Link looked back at her as she peered up, a few stray tears rolling down across her cheeks.

Lifting his hands, he wiped those tears away with his thumbs and added, "We've had a good evening together, and it's ending with uncertainty. We just want to stay where we are, and I think it's enough to cause upset."

"Well, you're not crying," she pointed out, feeling completely foolish. With a sigh, she looked down and shook her head. "Maybe it's not just you. Maybe it's the changes I've had to undergo in being the Princess, and I just felt so normal again today while we were together. I'm just so used to taking care of myself, and now I have maids to do everything for me. Any alone time I get isn't spent gardening anymore, or riding by myself through the fields, but instead, just in my room or in the library with a book of some kind. I don't even feel like the same person anymore, Link."

By the end of her words, she'd started crying a little more, and she felt him pulling her in closer, his brows wrinkled in concern for her. He had only just considered how much all of this had, in fact, changed for her. While he too had things that were different now, he was still the same type of person, did many of the same types of things. But Zelda's life had been completely flipped upside down. Maybe, he considered, there really was a difference between Mira and Zelda - maybe they were two completely different people altogether.

Zelda wasn't allowed to go out without an escort into the Market, much less could she ride through the fields alone - while Mira could have ridden from the Palace to the desert by herself if she'd wanted to. On the same token, Zelda would be taken complete care of, while Mira might have one day needed financial or some other type of assistance.

Link himself still worked, still had friends, and still knew the same people in very close to the same fashion. While Zelda wasn't lacking in friends, she was definitely unable to go and see the ones she'd known when she'd lived in Kakariko, and there again lay yet another difference. Because Zelda hadn't complained of it often, or hadn't seemed too bothered anytime she mentioned it, Link hadn't even really considered it until just now - at least, not this deeply anyway - how much this could have burdened her. Somehow he got the feeling that she might not have even realized it until just now herself, or perhaps she did and just didn't think it actually did have an impact on her.

In seeing how much it actually did affect her though, he knew one thing as the truth - no matter what happened between them, he couldn't leave her alone that night.

As if speaking his own thoughts, Zelda said through her tears, "I want my family and everything I've gained here, but I'd give anything to have them _and_ go back to being just plain old Mira again at the same time."

It was somehow, in moments like these, that Link saw her more as Mira than as Zelda, because she was a bit more wary and not as confident as she'd become when she'd taken her role as the Princess over the past several months. Desiring nothing more than to sooth that discomfort she was feeling away, Link put his arms more tightly around her, pushing his fingers into her hair. "Love," he whispered, leaning in and placing comforting kisses against her cheek and her ear, "you'd be miserable without that library to go to, and if you want, I'll find you a place to plant in the gardens here. Whatever you'd like to plant. I'll even get you a few chickens like you had before if you want."

Zelda leaned against him, trying not to smile over the part about the chickens because she knew, even though he hated them, he meant what he'd just said. Standing there quietly, trying to calm down, his soothing words against her ear, making her feel so much better like they always seemed to somehow, she sighed out a soft breath, sniffling softly. Link, hearing the sound, added as she settled comfortably against him, "Just don't expect me to care for them."

There was a grin in his voice, and she couldn't help it when she found one of her threatening to show through her tears, though she didn't quite let it yet, looking up at him while he reached to wiped her eyes again. "I'll even tell all of the handmaidens to call you Mira." He added the words when he saw her softening face looking up at him. Finally, with his last comment, he got what he wanted and a little appreciative smile traced her lips. "There, that's much better. You know I hate seeing you cry."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, giving him an apologetic expression. "I didn't realize though just how much all of the changes had affected me. I think I'm still adjusting even if I do feel comfortable with what my fate has become. I just hadn't realized until now just how much actually _has_ changed. You're one of the only consistencies I have with my old life, and my childhood, so I suppose your leaving just brought it all out in me."

Link nodded, kissing her forehead, and she closed her eyes and breathed out when he did. Softly, she whispered, "It never surprises me though, how much I love you, especially when you know how to make me feel so much better. That's one thing that won't ever change."

"That's a good thing, because I want to be the one constant in your life like you are in mine. I want to talk to our parents though, about seeing each other a little more. You're right when you say it isn't fair. We've been poked and prodded a lot more than anyone else has, just because we were the ones everyone looked to from the start. So I don't think a break for us to be together is too much to ask for."

Zelda hugged him more tightly, taking in a shaky breath as a result of the tears she'd shed before, and she nodded slowly. "I'll ask mine if you as yours."

"Deal," he replied with a smirk, then opened his eyes when she moved her head, watched her leaning up to kiss him, and he met her halfway. It was slow and sweet, comforting and gentle, and it melted the troubles that had come to her mind away. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around him tighter, feeling his fingers sliding up and down her back.

It felt like he was completely engulfing her somehow, and the kiss grew much more passionate, dizzying, until she almost felt like she couldn't stand on her own. Link, in turn, tightened his hold until she was completely pressed against him, feeling as if he couldn't get enough of her no matter what they did. It was intoxicating, and somehow, right where he was right then, he just knew was right where he was meant to be. He didn't lose sight of his duty to her one bit, just found himself trying to fulfill another one, and the kiss became much more urgent and breathless in the process.

Zelda gasped in her breath through her nose not long after it did, trying to keep up with the heated kiss. He was overwhelming her though, their tongues thrusting against one another in a way that mimicked a motion she was only slightly familiar with, and it made her heart flutter in her chest. Slowly, pulling her lips away from Link's as she felt her body taking off with her and her logical sense, replacing it with her needs, she lowered her head and put her hand upon her face with a deep seated blush staining her cheeks. She couldn't help it, needed some time to calm herself, and in the process of trying to, heard him breathing just as heavily as she was in turn.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "but as much as I want to continue, I'm afraid that if we do, we'll break our promise to one another to do everything right."

"I know," he replied, taking in his breath deeply and damning that promise, wondering why he had to have such a noble streak in himself. He wanted her worse than he had yet, worse than ever actually, and he had to get a control on his feelings, otherwise he knew he'd end up breaking that promise.

Zelda was resting against him, and he could still feel her trembling slightly, wondering if it was the cold air or something else altogether. Perhaps it was a bit of both, but he rubbed her back and asked her, "Are you alright?"

"I don't know," she replied, then looked up at him, her cheeks slightly red as if she might've either been embarrassed, or just recovering still from their kissing. "Is it bad for me to wish we'd never made that promise? Because, in a way," she whispered shyly, "I really am."

Link let a low groan when she'd spoken what he'd just thought, looking down and toward the side as he admitted, "If it does, then I'm just as bad as you are. I was considering that same thing."

Zelda watched him quietly, watched his eyes turning back to hers slowly, and then she nodded. "It's natural, like you said before. We love each other, we're engaged for a wedding, and we've already...," she trailed off shyly, looking down and casually stating, "made love once. So of course we both feel that way."

He nodded mindlessly after she said those words, staring at her in deep thought, then, as he slowly slipped his hands up her arms, he took in his breath and replied, "Zelda, do you remember how you told me all that time ago that sometimes I really need to start reaching out and taking something for myself every now and again?"

"Yes," she nodded, wondering what he might've been getting at, but the way he was looking at her was definitely making it hard to concentrate.

Before she had the chance to even try to however, she found herself caught in a kiss with him, her body right back against his where it had been just a few moments before, and he was wrapping his arms around her and pushing his hands down her lower back and across her rounded hips, using the grip to pull her much closer. The action made her feel a spark of life overcoming her entire body nearly, and in response, she reached her arms around his neck and held onto him tightly. It was in that moment that she heard the lock on the door latching through her haze from behind him, and it drew some kind of delightful shiver of excitement through her.

Was he really going to break his promise?


	12. Breaking Promises

_Chapter 11 - Breaking Promises_

The door to her chamber locked now with Link still inside of it, Zelda's heart started fluttering. As if to answer the question she'd never even spoken, she felt him pulling his lips from hers and finally, he finished what he'd began to say a few moments ago, "I've never wanted you so badly, and I know you didn't mean for me to take something like this in specific, but I can't help myself."

Her eyes locked on his, a rush of excitement and embarrassment rolling through her over the words he'd just spoken. To know he wanted her that much was somehow thrilling, and the fact that she knew what it meant they'd be doing brought out that modest shyness she possessed. He leaned over and lifted her up without another word though, turning and carrying her toward the bed, and despite her shyness, Zelda didn't try to stop him. She just couldn't stop staring at him as he carried her, her mind going blank until he sat her down again upon the floor again.

"Link," she started on a whisper, "if we do this, do you think we might regret it afterwards?"

"That's," he started, shaking his head no slowly, "the whole bad thing about it. I know I won't regret it, I'd never regret being with you."

Those were the only words she needed to hear, and she couldn't help but nod in agreement. "Nor would I," she replied on a soft whisper. They wanted this equally, and knowing they were both on those even grounds, then leaned in to initiate another kiss. It was then however that a knock came to the door, and Zelda gasped when she heard it and looked in that direction, her mind coming out of the romantic haze that it had fallen into.

"Oh no," she whispered, "I forgot about the chambermaids. They always come in the evening to make sure I have what I need before bed."

"Tell them you have it?" Link suggested as if it were common sense that he knew, even still, probably wouldn't work with how pushy the maids could be to do their job, then watched as Zelda looked around for something apparently. Turning her gaze at the bed behind her, followed by lifting the ruffled bed skirt, she waved her hand at him to tell him to hide under it. With a sigh of breath, Link did as she'd asked and dropped onto the floor, slipping beneath the bed in order to get out of sight while Zelda called out for the chambermaids to wait. Lowering the bed skirt again, she turned and headed over to the door, allowing them into the room.

"I didn't realize it was locked," she said when she opened the door, the head maid Arlina having lifted a confused brow over the situation.

Despite her casual words, Zelda thought she was going to faint when all of the maids went over to the bed except for Arlina. Watching them closely as they started removing the bed sheets, Arlina just shrugged a shoulder, saying, "Maybe it locked itself. I can have someone look at it tomorrow if you'd like."

Zelda shook her head then, looking back at the woman with the words, "Only if it keeps happening. Otherwise don't bother."

Once she'd said those words, she saw the maids tugging the comforter off of the bed and then the sheets, followed by pulling the shams from the pillows to be replaced. Her heart leapt into her throat with the actions, and Arlina replied, "Alright, should I help you get your bodice untied? Must be difficult to reach in the back like that."

"Oh, yes, that would be helpful," Zelda replied, and she let Arlina take her to the changing screen so that she could untie the garment from around Zelda's mid section. Once that was done, she left in order to find the Princess a nightgown to wear for the evening, and Zelda peeked around the corner to make sure the bed skirt wasn't in any danger of being moved and Link being spotted in the process.

In turn, Link could see the two sets of feet on either side of the bed and he had a fairly bland expression on his face in the process. He doubted they were going to take the entire mattress up - the thing too big and heavy for only two women - in order to replace the bed skirt, so he felt fairly confident in the fact that he was safe. Unless they dropped something, but it was also too dark under the bed to see clearly.

Zelda's sight was blocked for a moment as Arlina walked back over with her nightgown to allow her to change into it. It was a blue garment made of silk that Zelda slipped on quickly, pulling the robe that matched it around her shoulders but refraining from tying it into place so she could simply walk out and keep her eyes open for instances of discovery. Somehow though, as the maids were finishing up with replacing the sheets, she knew they were in the clear.

But she did have a thought in mind, one which she knew could possibly get her into trouble if Link was going to do as he'd suggested and break their promise that night.　　While the maids walked away with the old bed sheets, she stopped one of them and asked, "Might I keep the comforter."

The maid looked at it before glancing back at her, saying, "It needs to be washed, Your Highness."

"I know," Zelda nodded, "but you can take it in the morning. It's oddly cold tonight, and I wanted the extra warmth."

"Yes ma'am," the maid drew out with the explanation in place, turning to put the comforter at the end of the bed for Zelda, asking on the way, "would you like me to spread it over the rest?"

"No, I'll use it at my discretion, thank you, Landra."

"You're welcome, Princess. Good night." With those words, while Zelda had sat down to remove her slippers to be handed to Arlina, she smiled and let them all go. Once they'd left and the door latched behind them, Zelda went to the doors quietly peeked out. Seeing them walking away and down the corridor, she once again shut the door quietly and locked them both, glancing back to see if Link had come out yet or not.

"It's safe to come out," she informed him while she walked over to the bed and took the comforter from the end of it to do what she'd really requested it for.

Hearing the words, Link pushed himself out from under the bed and glanced up to see her spreading the comforter she'd asked for out on the floor in front of the hearth. It made him curious, and he could only wonder why she'd done that. But before he could comment, she asked, "Grab two pillows and that quilt, please?"

Looking at the bed, he reached for what she'd asked for, grabbing and carrying them over to her. Once she'd taken them, creating a pallet on the floor, he asked, "What are you doing?"

Zelda took in a breath as she stood back up and then gazed into the hearth. With the training she'd been undergoing since her life had started in the Palace, she no longer had the need to even think much about the simple spell she was about to perform when a fire blazed to life in the fireplace. Casting a warm light within the room, she looked down at the pallet and told him, "I thought, if we got the bed too messy, it might raise questions."

Seeing what she meant, he slowly nodded, then reached for her chin and lifted it so that she would look at him. Once her eyes had met his, he stepped in closer and put his opposite arm around her back, asking, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

He watched her biting her bottom lip, and in doing so, he became a bit doubtful, but he waited for her reply. Finally, she said softly, "Link, when you locked the door and told me how badly you wanted me, I don't think I've ever felt so excited. Maybe I'm not fit to be a lady because of that, but I want to hear you saying it again, and I want to tell you myself."

Looking into her eyes, he didn't hesitate and slowly lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her for the words she'd just said, and let her turn completely to face him. When she did, they both pulled together again completely, but Zelda didn't seem content to stay at his mouth, turning her head to his cheek, his jaw, then his throat, and he felt her pulling his tunic from the waistband of his pants at the same time.

The movements made him tighten his grip on her and groan lowly, the buttons coming undone and his shirt being pushed aside. Reaching up, he pushed the robe she wore open and tugged it off easily, able to feel the thin silk of the night gown coming into contact with his chest before he took the strap of it into his hand. He breathed deeply, regarding her closely, wanting to take her in, all while feeling a level of completeness that he'd never felt without her before.

Zelda felt the strap lowering down her arm, in turn felt his hand rising back to her chest and the warmth of his palm cupping her breast. Tugging her lips from where she'd been kissing along his throat, she whispered his name and sought his mouth again, tensing up a bit as he brushed his thumb over the tightening nipple at the tip. In response, she pulled herself against him much more tightly, rubbing her fingers along his sides and back, showing how restless she was becoming.

He seemed to sense it, pushing the nightgown from around her hips where it had come to rest in an effort to remove it, letting it pool upon the floor. Zelda, still against him, bit her lips over once against being nude in front of him, pushing her shyness down as deeply as it could go as she spotted him taking his belt buckle into his hands.

Zelda grabbed his wrist to stop him, taking the buckle herself before she whispered out, "Let me," in an attempt to both give just as much as she was getting as well as to overcome more of her shyness with him. Link did as she wanted, placing his hands against her upper hips while she drew a line of kisses across his chest and tugged his pants open slowly. While she did so, he managed to work his boots off, sliding them to the side and leaving them there.

Zelda let him move to do that, and then closed her eyes and hesitated. Sensing her nervousness, remembering how modest she was to see him in the nude completely, though she'd definitely come around to him in a shirtless state of being, he put his hands on her upper arms and whispered, "You don't have to do this if it's–"

"No," she shook her head, pushing his pants down, "I do, I want to be completely comfortable with you like you are with me."

She still had her head lowered so he couldn't see her face, and she got his pants off completely, forcing herself to keep her eyes open to see what she was doing as she leaned just a bit to finish the task, standing again while he stepped out of the garment. Now seeing much more of him than she'd let herself before, she closed her eyes and even let a little gasp when he pulled her back in from becoming just as nude as she was. Most of the reason was the feel of the heated skin she'd freed from the confines of his pants pressing into her lower stomach, and her arm wound around him tightly with a shuddered breath.

Somehow she wasn't as embarrassed this time, perhaps because somewhere, inside, beneath her modest nature, was an eagerness to be with him this way and to also see him, even if it embarrassed her to admit it. The way it felt, his skin so heated and hard against hers with the proof of his words of desire for her, just melted her inhibitions away even more. It somehow reminded her, especially when he lifted her blushing face up to kiss her, that she knew exactly who she was with, and she felt in that moment - kissing him just as deeply as he'd began to kiss her - completely natural.

She moved down onto the pallet before the fire place with him, settling on her knees while her fingers drawing intricate patterns against his skin. She realized she'd been right before, his muscle was more defined now, and she whispered, "You _are_ a little bigger."

Link watched her face as she eyed where her fingers were traveling, lost while he stared at her beauty as his hands moved down to her rounded backside, and she gasped in a breath as he gripped it and leaned her back slowly. Her voice sounded breathlessly as she moved with him, "Link, do that again."

"Do what?," he asked on a similar voice.

"Squeeze me there." She couldn't explain why she wanted what she'd just whispered so shyly to him, but when he did, and her body arched into his again in response, she couldn't help a little moan. He watched her closely, found every movement she made to be completely enthralling, and he took in another heavy breath.

"You're beautiful," she heard him telling her, felt him lowering his face to her breasts, kissing along her skin as he went. She wanted so much more so badly she couldn't see straight, looked down to see him stopping over her nipple, see him closing his lips around the pink bud, and she thread her fingers through her hair and lifted her parted thighs around him, jerking when she felt both the brush of his tongue as well as that of his hard length between her thighs against her much more sensitive spots.

"Link!," she whimpered out and grabbed him, her hips lifting instinctively, panting as her body almost seemed to cradle his somehow. Listening to the groan he'd let, Link moved his own hips in response as he lifted his head. His length pressed down against her a second time, brushing over the sensitive flesh between her thighs which became much more heated in response to him, and she let a loud whimper, one that was more urgent than before. He watched every single movement, the way she writhed a bit, lifted her head back to expose her throat, and couldn't help but consider how beautiful she was and how drunk it made him feel just to watch her responses to him over such simple touches. He became much more direct in response to her urgent whimper, hooking his fingers behind her thigh to push her leg back and expose her more thoroughly to his hips which he was driving slowly back and forth between them.

The shaft of his hard flesh rubbed much more easily when he did, stimulating her in a teasing fashion, and Zelda gripped his shoulders, letting another little cry of pleasure before panting in her breath. She couldn't move much, but she tried, her hips rocking beneath his while a flood of wetness escaped her body, the sensations causing her head to fall to the side in the direction of the firelight playing off of their skin with the attempt of weathering the storm brewing inside of her.

Was this the way it was with _everyone_? Or were the two of them the only ones in the world who'd ever experienced such sensitive pleasure just by touching one another, being so close together? Zelda lifted her hands against his back desperately in an effort of releasing the tension drawing up inside of her, trying to kiss him anywhere she could, but it just continued to build, the throbbing growing more frantic between her legs when she heard him groaning her name for her in pleasure, finally causing her to shake her head and gasp out, "Link, stop, you're teasing me! I can't stand it!"

He slowed his movements down as she'd asked, leaning over her with his own heavy breathing and kissing her cheek, asking, "Didn't like it?" Link's own arousal had skyrocketed, especially when he felt the lubrication of her excitement between her thighs smearing against his heated skin as he pushed himself back and forth against her. She felt so good he couldn't stand it either, so stopping hadn't been all that impossible of a task to do for him at that point.

With a deeply taken breath, she turned to look up at him, slowly shaking her head, "No, I loved it, I love everything we do. I just can't stand it."

A little smirk traced his lips as she told him this, and his resolve grew thicker in thinking that, if she couldn't stand it, and they were going to break their promise, then he was going to make sure this was done completely right. He knew she actually _could_ stand it, it would just drive her insane, and with the notion in mind, he decided he was going to have her in a padded room by morning before he kissed her while letting his hand lower between her thighs.

"Like you can't stand it when I do this?"

His fingers brushed the sensitive bud between her thighs, and she jerked beneath him in response, letting a louder moan than before with the much more direct contact to the absolutely swollen button he now rubbed slowly in circles. The sound of her moan was cut off though when she clamped her lips shut, and with narrowed brows, nodded her head to the question she'd almost forgotten that he'd asked, "Yes!"

She'd gripped his wrist while his fingers circled her, her flesh positively throbbing for him between her thighs, and Link could only wonder if she was really that sensitive to his touch as her back arched and she writhed. It was indeed an arousing thought, one he savored - right along with the sight of her - and he wanted to see more of it, didn't stop his touches despite the fact that she'd grabbed his wrist, though he did let a groan out when she reached for his own aching member and let her fingers rub over it before wrapping around it.

"You're so wet," he murmured almost mindlessly as she squeezed him, his chest heaving as he kissed her deeply. It took him a moment to remember what he'd been going to say, but he managed to get it out, looking at her pleasure washed face after breaking the kiss while they stroked and touched one another. "Do you love that too?"

Her heart was pounding madly in her chest, almost too loudly for her to hear his voice, and all she could allot of her own voice was a moan followed by a nod of her head. She felt so good that all she could think of was how much she wanted him, literally soaked between her legs for him, and she wet her lips with her tongue subconsciously before she told him as much.

"Link, take me, before I explode," her voice was urgent, her words shaky, "I want it so badly now!"

"What if I want you to explode for me first?"

She'd wrapped her arm around him tightly, her face just beneath his as he'd asked the question, still using her other hand to slowly squeeze and stroke him, all the while nearly unable to stand the way he was slowly rubbing the sensitive button between her thighs. Her entire body was tingling with the need for more, and her breasts were aching. So his question only made her condition worse, and she could only reply with a loud whimper.

"I do want you to," he added breathlessly when she couldn't respond, "more than once. I want to make sure you're as completely satisfied as I love you completely."

She suddenly felt very greedy, as if she were doing very little for him in return for what she was receiving, which to her felt absolutely incredible, and she grabbed his hand again and shook her head, rasping out, "No! It's not enough! Stop!"

The words definitely got his attention, and as she pushed on his hand, he let her, asking with heavy breaths, "What's wrong, love?"

"I'm not doing enough for you," she told him immediately, taking his shoulders and pushing on them, apparently wanting him to lay back against the pillows. "I can't just let you do everything."

He didn't move when she pushed on him, just took a deep breath and calmed himself, whispering, "You're fine, Zelda. What you were doing felt extremely good."

"But it could be better. You're making me lose my mind, but you're still able to talk. I can't just," she shook her head, "lay here and let you do all of this for me. I mean, I really do love it when you touch me, but I want to do the same for you."

When he didn't move, she slipped out from beneath him easily enough since he was really only covering her with the upper half of his body, and she sat up beside him. Link looked over, and then he took in a breath, turning around as she also turned to face him again. Leaning back on his elbows, he watched her as she placed her hands on his shoulders again and pushed him back gently. So with her wishes in mind, he laid on the pillows behind his head and held her gaze with his deep blue eyes evenly.

"It's supposed to be my duty to make sure you're taken care of, Zelda," he told her on a quiet voice. "You don't have anything you need to worry about."

Her expression was even, and when he was propped up on the pillows behind his head, she kissed his cheek, then his jaw, slipping her hand down across his chest while she leaned on the other. He closed his eyes and drew out her name, the tone of his voice still the same as before, as if trying to get her attention.

When he said it, she leaned up and whispered against his pointed, duel-pierced ear, "Link, this is one of the things I want you to take. Let me. I just want to show you how much I love you too. You can...," she took a breath over the thought of what she was about to say, but got it out anyway, "do all those things you mentioned once I'm done, can't you?"

His groan told her the thought both aroused him as well as maybe annoyed him because she always made such logical sense. It made her smile just a little bit through the nervousness she felt - and indeed she was nervous with the hope that she could please him as much as he'd done for her before - and with it, she turned to lean down against his chest. As with most endeavors, curiosity led her motivations, the need to know more, and to understand how it worked and why it worked that way drawing her down to his chest where she started.

For instance, he had nipples as everyone did. That was the first of her questions, and she knew she'd never really be able to ask it out loud, so in order to find out, she mimicked exactly what he'd done to her. With her fingers, she brushed them over one, which didn't seem to get much of a reaction, and at the same time, drew her lips over the other. His hands had settled against her back, and his fingers tensed into her skin when she did, one moving up into her hair with a deep breath drawn. Apparently, he did like it.

She was surprised by how pleased she was over knowing this now, didn't hurry to make it across his chest to the next, just stayed right where she was for another moment, hearing him moaning her name. His breathing had picked up a bit, and she felt completely accomplished some how in return.

Slowly lifting her head, she asked him, "How was that?"

His eyes had shut, and he replied, "It was good." He was surprised. He didn't think it would have felt that good, never really considered something like that to work since touching them was simply like touching another part of his chest. So he had to ask, "What made you think of that?"

"Because you like to touch mine," she whispered softly, blushing a little and keeping herself from getting too shy by giving the opposite the same attention. Link let his eyes close and he rubbed her back while she did.

"I'm glad I do," he groaned out softly, wondering for a moment if he was unique in this manner, but decided he'd just enjoy it for what it was. 　Though, he wasn't particularly used to laying back and allowing what would be to be, felt Zelda sitting up and he opened his eyes for a moment to see her moving, slipping a leg between his, before his eyes shut again with a deep breath. His thoughts continued for a moment over it, remembering that most of his encounters had been with himself in the lead. So this was a slight switch, not that he minded at all. In fact, he completely enjoyed it aside from feeling as if he weren't performing his duty in turn to her, though he kept the logic in mind she'd presented to him that he'd get to do so once she'd served her duty to him.

But his thoughts were _severally_ interrupted.　　There was no doubt in his mind what he'd just felt before he opened his eyes, and in order to keep her from thinking she'd done something wrong, he had to grip the comforter to stop from grabbing and stopping her - but that didn't stop the sound he made followed by her name when she'd slipped her lips over the tip of his engorged member.

Hearing her name on his lips like that told her another answer - she was right that he was just as sensitive there as she had been all those months ago. 　She was very gentle in her movements, was using her tongue against the flesh as she stroked him in her hand - simply due to the effort of performing this right - and she just continued on through his loud moan and the way he'd gripped her hair with his fingers without tugging it.

"Zelda...! I...uhh," he drew out before he couldn't finish his sentence, caught completely by surprise in this. She'd said she wanted to overcome her modesty, and she was apparently working hard on it, on him too. It felt so good he couldn't think at all, probably surprising her when the words, "Mmm...fuck, hot," came out of his mouth without even realizing it, and he gripped her shoulder once the effort to do more than blather over the act came biting at him.

"Zelda, I can't let you just–," he grunted when she slipped more of him into her mouth, which interrupted his words and made him grip her shoulder more tightly. He was at his wits end now, but there was a thought he couldn't just let go stuck in his head because it was going to happen, and probably sooner rather than later.

"I'm going to come, in your mouth, if you don't stop," he informed her urgently, his chest heaved and he gritted his teeth, thankful when she slowed her movements.

She hadn't considered that when she'd started this, remembering the sight of the sticky substance she'd seen before, and she also remembered when he'd done this for her. When she'd come, he'd still been down there, and so she didn't stop like he'd warned her to. After all, if he was saying such lewd words and groaning her name like he was, then she was doing exactly as she wanted to, and there was no way she could stop, not when she wanted him to feel so good, even needed him to.

She slipped her lips off of him however, but only to whisper that thought to him. "I don't care about that, I want you to come, and I don't want to stop now."

She went right back to doing as she'd been doing before, slowly sucking her lips along his flesh, and she was immensely pleased at the highly pleasured sound he made in response. He'd sat forward on an elbow and gripped her shoulder more tightly, unable to help the panting of his breath as her hot mouth moved slowly back and then forth again along his heated, throbbing skin, drawing him much closer to his orgasm. He fought it off, refusing to let himself do that to her. He knew women didn't like it, or, only some liked it while others didn't, and if she didn't, he'd be mortified.

"No, I can't let...ahh...!" He couldn't stop himself, reaching for her shoulders to try his best to push her back, but she seemed to expect that and gripped her arm around him more tightly just as he started to come for her, unable to hold it back anymore. "Zelda!" He jerked, his hips thrusting forth, muscles tensing while the pleasureful spasms were released in his body.

She didn't stop, only kept going, and somehow found herself much more aroused than she was been before in knowing she'd given him such intense pleasure. He released his essence into her mouth, and while she didn't particularly like it, she also didn't feel sickened by it at all - wanting this for the both of them.

Link's eyes had squeezed shut throughout the powerful explosion of pleasure racking his body, his lips parted with the heavy pants of breath he made. He couldn't help but looked down at her somewhere during it all, wondering if maybe he was just extremely lucky, or was somehow being rewarded, but it felt so good that, like she usually claimed, he nearly couldn't stand it.

Once that pleasure had finally left him in its aftermath and he relaxed back against the pillow again, his chest still heaving, she finally lifted her head with a blush on her face, breathing deeply as she slowly moved over him. He heard her pants and felt her settling a leg on either of his sides, but was still a bit too out of it to react just yet. Gently, she let her body rest against his, and leaning down, she pressed her lips against his collar, kissing it and then slowly working them up against his throat.

The gentle attention finally got his brain to function a bit more again, and he surprised her when he took her arms in his hands and rolled her over fairly easily, looking down at her with narrowed brows. He actually looked angry and she thought she'd done something terribly wrong, asking immediately, "What!?"

"Why didn't you stop?"

"I...I thought you...liked it. You acted like you did."

"I did, but I just...," he looked back, then at her again and asked, "did you spit it out?"

Slowly, she shook her head no.

"You swallowed it?" His blue eyes had gone somewhat wide.

With a nod, she asked just as timidly as she'd spoken before, "Should I not have? Will it make me sick?"

"No," he shook his head, remembering through the question just how much she really didn't know, and he sighed, glancing to the side for a moment, repeating a bit more gently,　"No, but I know it's not pleasant for most women."

She felt close to tears, asking him, "Why are you so mad?"

He looked up at her face when he heard her voice, and then he shook his head again, realizing he'd made her think she'd done something wrong. "No, I'm not mad, love," he pressed his hand against her cheek, trying to soothe her fears before they could upset her, "I'm just," he tried to think of the right words, "I was worried I'd done something to you that you wouldn't like. I don't want to do anything that you would think is disgusting."

"But I didn't," she replied with a shake of her head, "I...this was for you, and I wanted you to like it, that's all. It's just a part of you, isn't it? Didn't you enjoy it?"

"Yes," he sighed out, then he lowered his forehead to hers, adding the words, "and yes, I did very much. You have no idea how much I did."

She sighed and closed her eyes over the praise, needing it, and glad to know she'd accomplished her goals completely. "Then don't worry, because I did too. I love you, and hearing you have that kind of pleasure was the best thing I've ever heard before. I wanted to please you, and show you how much I love you. Besides, I came in _your_ mouth, didn't I?"

"That's different."

"No it's not," she shook her head, opening her eyes when he lifted his to glance down at her. "I wanted you to see how much I love you, and now you have."

She loved him enough that she would risk her modesty and endure how embarrassed she was to pleasure him and not only do that, but go so far as to take his release when it could've made her feel disgusted without realizing it. 　Link couldn't stop himself from staring at her intently, knowing that, even though she apparently wasn't bothered by what she'd just done or the fact that he hadn't lied and enjoyed her ministrations to his body significantly, he would never let her go to anyone. Not only that, but he was going to make sure she felt the same way he had.

"Say something," she whispered when he grew quiet, and she let him move once she'd spoken. He sat back and pulled her up with him, leaning in to kiss her deeply, a kiss which she reacted to, putting her arms up and around his neck. Their bodies connected again, causing her to shiver, slipping one arm down and around his side beneath his own while he clutched her tightly.

When the kiss broke, he finally whispered against her lips, "You haven't forgotten what you said, have you?"

"What exactly?," she murmured out, drunken by the kiss he'd given her.

"That once you were done, I could do everything I'd mentioned."

Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt another shiver run up her spine as he turned and pressed a kiss against her throat where her pulse was hammering away, her eyes closing because of the dizziness that had run through her head. She held onto him while he kissed his way down to her chest and gripped her breasts in his hands, covering the pink tip of one with his mouth, using his thumb to brush the other. Her expression had become one of pain when the opposite was true, fighting not to tell him no out of shyness whenever he reached down and parted her thighs, tugging at him more tightly.

His fingers were against her silky skin again, sliding up between her thighs, and though she knew it wouldn't be right or fair to tell him to stop, she had to gasp out his name and tense her back as he found her sex and moved to give her other breast the same attention as the first. His fingers found her wet folds once more, and he began to stroke against them slowly, gently pressing a finger inside of her. Not only did he want to see if she was comfortable with that, but he also wanted to know if she liked it at all since he hadn't been able to perform that specific treatment on her yet.

"Link!," she gasped out, letting him lift his head up again to kiss her mouth as he slowly pushed more of the digit inside of her. She was soaking wet, and there was no resistance at all.

Breaking the kiss off while he penetrated the slickness he'd found with his index, he asked, "Does that hurt?"

The look on her face was drunk and pained, and she shook her head, "No! Not at all." She leaned up and kissed him, the kiss urgent in the face of the need blooming inside of her.

He returned her kisses, going slowly despite the fact that she'd said it hadn't hurt, and through their movements, he ended up behind her, holding her tightly while she moaned for him, kept trying to kiss him, rocking against him. She whimpered breathlessly when he turned and pressed kisses up and down her spine, was going just as crazy as she'd driven him a short while ago while those burning sensations between her parted thighs against his thrusting fingers made her buck against his hand.

His thumb was brushing the sensitive swollen bud between her legs in addition to those slow pumping movements, and she couldn't stay still unless he kept his arm anchored around her. She'd gripped his wrists while she arched her back, his lips against her shoulder blades, moving up to her throat, and her head fell back onto his shoulder, her chest heaving.

"Link! Ah!," she let a cry and jerked at the same time, the movement telling that she was close to her release. Pushing himself back up, Link slowed his movements to a stop, and the ceasing of sensation as he removed his hand from between her thighs made her let a little disappointed groan, a sound he couldn't help but appreciate.

Zelda turned a questioning, glazed expression up at his face as he moved and gently pushed her over against the pillows. She wanted to know why he'd stopped, but could only get out a little whimper as she laid back for him. "Shush," he drew out, sitting back and moving over her, lifting one of her long legs up and over his shoulder, "I'm not done, sweet love."

She had no idea what he'd said, too consumed with the urge to grab him and demand he take her right then when it finally hit her where his mouth was heading, across her navel, and down. She sat forward, letting a sharp cry then ended up stifled with her hand when she'd raised her fist to her mouth to stop herself from telling him no again, but one thing she did do was buck hard. Link had to grip her hips to hold her still as his mouth trailed over the place he'd been so intent to touch with his hands just a moment before, and he continued letting his lips tease her, his tongue roll over and against her, while she grabbed a pillow without even thinking and buried her face in the soft shams, trying to prevent herself from screaming.

But she did anyway - into that pillow - his tongue against her, hot and wet and driving her completely insane, prying another cry from her lips muffled within the pillow when her hard orgasm hit her like a ton of bricks crashing down. She thrashed against him, unable to even breathe, or was she? She couldn't tell, too far gone and washed away by her pleasure to notice much of anything at all, the explosion somehow seeming unending.

She was so far gone that all she could do as her orgasm died down and Link moved back over her, pulling the pillow from her face, was attempt to kiss him, attempt to tell him she loved him, and when she felt him between her thighs, not hesitating in joining with her after her heated release - breaking their promise - he did so quickly enough to make her arch her back and suck in her breath. Inside of her once again, their promise shattered to one another, she felt completely full, and also hoped that any promise they might break to one another would always have this kind of result.

He continued breaking that promise as well without a pause.

She was so overwhelmed, his hips unrelenting as he started pushing himself inside of her, hips rocking back and forth without a moment for thought or reprieve, that the absolute only thing she could do was cling to him and bury her face against his throat. Her resounding moans muffled there told him all he needed to know about her arousal and how good she was feeling, and while her muscles had tensed around him and drew a gruff groan from his throat, he could tell just how drunk she was whenever he pushed himself up on an arm and her head simply lolled back as if she couldn't hold it up anymore.

"Zelda," he drew out, pushing a bit harder, his eyes shutting, seemingly not of his own accord as pleasure spiraled through him. She felt so good - he had to wonder exactly how he'd managed to resist this for so long - each push inside of her like completely wet silk, hot and consuming. "I love you," he groaned, "so much."

Zelda didn't make a response except for a whimper she couldn't stop, her legs lifting higher, allowing his body deeper inside of hers, the sensation of which made her tense beneath him, drawing her head forward. Her nose met his, eyes squeezed shut tightly, and without realization, she drew her fingers across his back, though she didn't hurt him with her nails.

Her panting got harder and harder until she suddenly drew out his name, "Link! Please don't stop!" Her moan as her head fell back was like nothing short of fine music to his pointed ears, and the words she added cause him to tense up and slow his pace down, making him feel as if he could have exploded right then and there over the thought.

"I want you to come back tomorrow night too, and do this again!"

The groan he let from his throat was nothing less than masculine, and he replied, "Don't talk like that." Though the words might've simply been spoken in the heat of the moment, they still bore their heavy weight, and aroused him more than he could have attempted to explain. The thought of coming back again the next night and doing this to her again drove him crazy.

Feeling his slowed pace, she gripped him more tightly and whimpered in disappointment, looking up at him urgently while trying to move her hips in order to urge him back into doing what he'd been doing before, but instead, his hips just slowed down to a complete stop.

"Link, please! Why did you stop?"

"Because I was almost there," he informed her, sitting back slowly. She watched him, confusion still alight on her face, but let him reach for her and pull her up. Still joined with him, once she was settled with her legs spread over his lap, she leaned in and started kissing his jaw and his throat, the urge to move her own hips present and she gave into it, started to rock them instinctively.

She was completely uninhibited, normally wasn't brazen enough to do something such as grabbing his ass, but she wanted him to move again so badly she couldn't help it. In doing so, trying to rock her own hips which didn't get the same sensation as it did when he was also moving somehow, she watched his head tilting back and heard him groaning lowly as he returned that grip to her. When he still didn't move however, she leaned up and nipped at his left ear, then tugged on one of his silver hoops. She was beyond begging him in that moment, trembling with her need to get him to move again.

"Ah!," he drew out, and couldn't hold back anymore, especially when she whimpered so desperately, knowing exactly what she wanted from him. He started thrusting his hips again, in and out of the wet tightness that had so nicely been bringing him - as well as giving her - pleasure that night, and he moaned her name roughly because of it. Zelda grabbed him tightly in response, tears starting to stream down her cheeks over how good it all felt, over how intense the pleasure was.

"I love you," she whispered again and again, each jolt of pleasure bringing her much closer to her orgasm, until she finally couldn't fight it anymore.

Link felt her tensing, and in a bid to keep her from making too loud a cry of pleasure, he turned her so that her back was completely against the pillow and covered her mouth hotly with his, kissing her deeply and trying his best to hold his own orgasm off until her tremors stopped. The muffled cries against his lips made that impossible though - the way she pulled at him, rubbed against him, showing him just how good she felt - and he let a sudden, harsh groan of his own, his mouth breaking from hers as his muscle strained and his orgasm took over.

Zelda was still panting, laying limply beneath him, and her lidded gaze watched his face while he found his release inside of her. She couldn't resist stroking his cheek and throat, taking in the sight completely with parted lips and sighed breaths. 　With that pleasure spent in the both of them for the moment, they drifted down to the sheets limply together, the aftermath they'd created nothing short of euphoric, hearts pounding and heads spinning.

He heard a few soft whimpers next to his ear as he lay there recovering. Link somehow knew she was crying just a little, probably overwhelmed by the emotion she felt, which he was just as much so.　　Turning his head slowly, he whispered, "I love you," his eyes closed through the line, nose brushing her cheek.

Zelda drew her arms up higher around his back, turning her face toward his to kiss his lips. She just couldn't express all of the emotions she was feeling in that moment, not to mention she still felt so limp, to the point that when he finally did shift to the side, she just let him move her any way he wanted to.

"I love you, too," she whispered, coming to settle next to him. Within each other's embrace, they both grew quietly comfortable, those words spoken all that they could or needed to say, the rest shown through their actions, resting so close and idly drawing their hands along one another's skin slowly.

A short while later, they were both completely languid, laying there facing one another, eyes closed, the fire burning low in the hearth,　wrapped up in the comforter for more warmth, as well as each other.　　They weren't asleep yet, though that was imminently approaching, and the first word spoken between them in at least fifteen minutes was then uttered.

"Spring."

Link opened his eyes when he heard the word. Quietly, he looked over at her, twirling a lock of her hair around his finger as he lay next to her, and he watched her eyes opening. When they did, and met his, he asked, "What?"

"I think we should wed in the Spring. It's definitely the best season for it."

The words put a little smile on his face, and his eyes drifted shut once again. "Spring," he replied softly while she watched him thinking about it. The season was right upon them, and he knew she meant during the middle or late time of the season when it'd grown much warmer, which was a bit off from then. "It gives us a few months to prepare for it too."

She smiled, turning her head to kiss his arm which she was resting against, and she added, "Our parents also."

His soft laugh hit her pointed ears when she made the joke, and he looked over to see her, eyes shut again, smiling comfortably. It was then that he expressed a thought to her that he hadn't addressed yet.　　"Zelda, when we do get married, even if we have to have an official one here, I would like to have a wedding in Kakariko."

The suggestion made her look at him again. It was a very nice idea, she considered, asking, "Something small?"

He nodded. The nod drew her back to smiling, and she leaned over to kiss him. "I'm glad you said that. I never wanted a very fancy wedding honestly. It would be very nice to have the people we know there also."

"Shamrock would probably want to throw the reception party."

Zelda grinned, "In his tavern? A wedding reception in a tavern?" She snickered softly, and the sound made him chuckle as well. "Well, he'd probably find somewhere else to have it. He always was known for his parties, after all."

Link thought about that, had only been to Shamrock's once or twice, but knew how the old man had a talent for festivities. But it all sounded like a wonderful idea to him, and he looked back at her face, a smile forming on his lips. "I think it would be perfect."

She was still smiling even though her eyes were shut, head resting against his upper arm. As he regarded her, pushing more of her hair back and behind her ear, he could only wait for the day when he could lay with her like this without worry of getting out of the room before he was caught, call her his wife and spend his evenings with her when no one could say anything to him about it.

He was right from the beginning, he didn't regret this even if they were supposed to wait, he could never regret this. No matter what or who they were, he already felt as if they were bound together - whether by marriage or not - and with those sentiments, he rested comfortably with no guilt or remorse for their actions in his mind.

The circumstances of the unknown had led them into one another's arms to begin with. They'd wanted one another the first night they'd ever made love, and with the uncertainty of the outcome of their journey, had decided to give one another those pleasant memories. Even though things had gone well, their questing successful, he still didn't regret that decision now, and would never do so, even if a promise had been broken.

He felt honor bound not to regret it, as Link knew that such a thing could hurt her, make her feel unworthy. But no bad or harm could be seen emerging from their coupling that evening, and as long as they kept one another in check, and didn't take this for granted, pursuing it at every turn and corner, then, and in many ways, he even felt it was something they even owed to one another, just because they loved each other so much.

After all, marriage was simply a way to make sure the couple in question stayed with one another. Link knew many things could change, but one that wouldn't was his attachment to her, the way he felt about her, and her being a part of his life. No matter where the roads led them, she always would be.

She fell asleep while he thought about those things, while he watched her laying there so peacefully. Now, the regret he faced was having to leave her, which was a powerful one indeed. But he was growing weary himself, and he had the opportunity now to go to his room and make sure that nothing was out of place. He had to take that opportunity, and so he turned and lifted her, carrying her to the bed, settling her down in the sheets.

Maybe it couldn't be that night, but soon enough he would be there with her the entire time. After all, that evening had given him much more than he ever could have asked for, and he was definitely content with that. She only stirred a slight bit whenever he moved her, and to make up for it, he kissed her cheek and whispered for her to go back to sleep.

With the thoughts in mind over how he'd gained so much, Link felt immensely better, and he redressed himself and pulled her comforter and pillows off of the floor for her, settling them on her bed, before he kissed her cheek once again and then bid her goodnight, leaving the room without being caught.

For now, his mind rested on the future, and he smiled over the thought of telling their parents the time they had discussed for their wedding.


	13. Arrival

_Chapter 12 - Arrival_

_A Week Later_

"Are you sure you'll be alright leaving like this?"

Risek was fitting his gloves onto his hands, and he turned his eyes alone in the direction of his younger sister standing over by the hearth in the royal study, her curly black hair done up neatly, the gown she wore made of the finest materials in red giving her a nicely classical look to her beauty. Risek had gone to the study in order to finish preparing for his trip to Hyrule after receiving word from King Hadinaru of acceptance to host the Althorian Diplomats and their Crowned Prince the other day.

He was dressed in a deep blue tunic edged around the high collar with silver and marked with a few patterns on each side. Wearing a pair of etched silver pauldrons on his shoulders and plates on his upper arms, Risek's garb was nicely crafted in itself, but unlike his younger half sister, he had a reason for dressing in such a fine way. Once his gloves were in place and after she'd asked the question, he looked back at the eighteen year old Princess, putting his arms by his sides with his response.

"Yes, I'm sure I'll be fine. Your concern seems somewhat strange however."

She smiled at him somewhat coyly, lifting a brow and tilting her head inquisitively. "You know I don't mean about our Father if that's what you thought. I mean about leaving everything on my shoulders."

Had Risek been a man who expressed his emotion outwardly, there would have been a look of annoyance on his face over her words, as well as maybe some slight humor over the thought of her with everything settled upon her. But he had a response to give her, and he looked at her so he could see her face when he spoke it.

"_Your_ shoulders, Charlain? The strength of your shoulders are reserved solely for holding up those expensive gowns you wear. Though I do believe that the Kingdom will be fine in your _husband's_ hands while I am away."

Her wrinkled nose was exactly why he'd looked at her, and even though he didn't show it, he was more than happy to put that look of offense on her pretty face. Had someone lived for a day with Charlain, they might have been mildly irritated, but an entire lifetime? Risek did indeed question whether or not she was his father's daughter, though he knew his stepmother, whom had passed away bearing their second child, had given Charlain a great hand in the superiority complex she possessed.

"Fine," Charlain said with a good deal of disdain, "in _Lukas's_ hands. So you're not bothered then. You always look it though. You always look so dejected anymore."

Risek finally made an attempt to show a little more than what he normally did when it came to how he felt, sighing in his breath and rolling his eyes. "Charlain, I'm only dejected around you."

She rolled her own blue eyes. "That's not what I hear."

Risek had began to walk to the door when she spoke those words, and in taking the doorknob, he looked back over at his half sister and replied quite confidently, "You would know, my Queen of the Gossip. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even know of my nickname, nor would I care to."

"Hmph," Charlain scoffed, "you know, they call you more than just the Prince of Stone."

"Once again, I don't care," came his fleeting words as he left the study they'd been standing in, ready to go see his father before he left on his journey to Hyrule.

"Jackass," Charlain muttered, sighing before she looked down at the fire while considering the journey that her older half brother was to go on. She wondered how things would work for him there, especially with his sour disposition. Somehow she doubted his going would serve Althor or Hyrule at all. If they wanted to send a royal in her father's stead, she still though that she was the better choice. After all, a certain charm was needed when it came to diplomacy, and as far as Charlain was concerned, she felt she had more charm in his little finger than Risek did in his entire body.

Unknowing of his sister's thoughts - and continuing not to care, though if he had known, he would have argued that a diplomat also needed to know more about the Kingdom they represented than the gossip floating around in the air - Risek headed down the hallway when he heard a young man calling his name out. Looking back, he saw his little brother running toward him, the thirteen year old seeming a bit annoyed as he went, and Risek leaned down to allow himself a hug from the young man.

"You were going to leave without saying goodbye to me, weren't you?"

"Of course not," Risek replied, "has Charlain been filling your head with nonsense again, Gabriel?"

"Maybe," Gabriel muttered, then stood back with a discontent look on his young face given to his brother in question, "Do I _really_ have to stay here with her? She keeps trying to tell me how I'll grow up to be better than you and I hate it when she does that."

Risek snorted in amusement, the dark haired Gabriel being one of the few people he felt he could be himself with anymore. The smile on Risek's face - one that several thought might break his cheeks altogether because he never showed it to anyone - was definitely genuine toward his younger half brother.

"I wish I could say you didn't, Gabriel. But I don't have another man to make sure she keeps out of trouble. You _can_ keep her in line, can't you?"

Gabriel scoffed and waved his hand, "Easily, Risek. All I have to do is tell someone to put a fake article in the gazette. She goes nuts until she finds the person who started the rumor, and leaves us all alone in the meantime."

Risek's laugh filled the corridor, and he stood up straight. "Then I'm at ease with your expertise, Gabriel. I'll keep that ploy in mind for future endeavors."

Gabriel smiled at Risek, then he stepped in beside of him as they both began to walk, asking, "Are you going to speak with Father?"

"I was, to say that I would return soon."

"Can I come?"

"I don't see why not," Risek told him, heading toward the stairwell in the wooden colored corridor they stepped through. "So tell me, before I leave, how are your studies coming?"

Gabriel gave Risek a thoughtful expression, and as they started walking up the steps, he said, "You know, you sound like Father. I think you'll make a good dad one day. My studies are going well. Lady Bakkit says I'm the smartest one in the class."

"Did you earn that through merit?"

Gabriel nodded, replying, "She doesn't say it because I'm the King's son, if that's what you mean."

"Good," Risek informed him before turning a corner and heading toward the chamber where his father was resting. Upon reaching the door, he opened it and let Gabriel into the chamber first, then followed him inside. Seriun was awake, resting against the pillows of his bed, actually sitting up for once, and a maid was taking a tray of mostly eaten food toward the door while Seriun smiled in seeing his two sons.

"Risek, Gabriel," he nodded, "you must be about to leave."

Seriun, for all intents and purposes, sounded like himself much more so at that moment than he normally had lately. Risek nodded in reply as Gabriel went over to his father's side and took his hand. "Are you feeling better, Father?"

"I feel good," Seriun told him, "much better right now than in a good week or two." He then looked back over at Risek who'd come up behind Gabriel. "Where is Arrik? Already waiting?"

"More than likely," Risek replied, "he told me to take my time, however."

"And his son? Where is Lukas?"

"The last I heard, coming back from Meley to keep the affairs here in order until my return, or until you're better."

Seriun smiled, nodding, "It looks right now as if it might be the latter, doesn't it?"

Sighing out his breath hopefully, Risek nodded his own head, "Yes, I'm very glad for that as well. I would like to come back to see you wearing that ridiculous crown again."

Seriun grinned, laughing softly, and coughing slightly through the laugh. Risek, when he was young, always told Seriun that his crown was too big and looked ridiculous, even though his views had changed as he'd gotten older. "That's the Risek I remember. Not the brooding man you've become during these past several months. I will try my best to please you."

Gabriel smiled, looking up at Risek, telling his father, "Risek's just mad because Charlain's perfume gives him a headache."

Seriun smirked, patting Gabriel's head somewhat weakly, and he told the boy, "Now, now, that _is_ your sister. Show her some respect."

Risek didn't particularly care to argue on the matter even if he thought his little brother's insult had been humorous. After all, Seriun was right, and as much as he didn't get along with Charlain, she _was_ blood. With those words spoken however, Risek changed the subject and looked down, asking Gabriel, "Would you like to stay here, or come out to the horses with me?"

"I'll stay here. Arrik always treats me like I'm five."

Risek smirked and nodded his head, then he patted Gabriel's head and looked back at his father, his expression taking on its usual serious demeanor once more. "I'll return soon, Father. And I'll be sure to return with good news."

"Thank you, Risek. I know you and Arrik will succeed in this. Let the Ambassador know that I have the utmost faith in him and his abilities." Taking in a breath, one he wheezed out before he lifted a clothe to his mouth to cover it with a cough, he finally settled down and took in his breath slowly, proving that while he was acting fine at the moment, he still had a good ways to go in the effort of recovery it seemed.

But it didn't stop him from looking up at his departing son and saying to him in his farewell, "I love you, my son."

Leaning down, Risek kissed his father's temple in a show of affection. After all, and though he wasn't thinking that specific thought, he could be gone for over a week and return to a father who was much worse off than he had been, if not dead. Leaning back, he said, "I love you too, Father." Then he gave Gabriel a little smile and turned to go on his business.

Getting to the door, Risek gave a final look back at them, offering his smile until he couldn't see them anymore. Once the door had latched, however, he smile quickly faded and his face took on the stony expression he'd become so popular for around the Kingdom. Turning, he walked back down the hallway, and saw a shadow cast from one of the windows as someone began to head around the corner.

He came to a stop to keep from bumping into the person whom more than likely had no idea he was there, and saw the familiar face of Anamirian as she stepped around the corner with a tray of different medical items. Having not expected to see anyone as Risek had considered when he'd stopped, she came to a sudden halt and looked up, blinking her golden colored eyes at the Prince from beneath her bonnet.

"Oh, My Prince," she said respectfully, bowing her head. "I thought you'd already taken your leave."

"I was just on my way to," came his deep voice as she stepped past him.

"Then, have a good trip," she told him, a quaint smile on her face, and as she went to go down the hallway, she was a little surprised when Risek stopped her, taking her upper arm in his hand.

Looking back at him, she heard him saying, "Mirian, I want you to do me a favor, as a friend."

Mirian shook her head slowly, somewhat unused to him being more personal with her as she could remember from time to time in their youths when her brother Marcelle was alive, but it didn't strike her as odd either given the circumstances.

"What is it?"

"I would appreciate it if you would spend time with my father while I'm away, make sure he is well cared for. Let Gabriel know so he can tell Lukas to let you into the King's chambers during the evenings when I would normally be there."

Nodding her head, Mirian replied, "I would be glad to." He let go of her arm when she agreed, and she added, "Just come back quickly and safely. Althor doesn't need a second ill royal."

He knew that was completely true, and nodded his head despite the fact that he hated to ask her of such a favor when she'd lost her own brother and his best friend so recently. "I will, and when I do, I intend on furthering me investigation," he informed her, then turned around to leave, allowing more of the sour mood he'd been put into by asking Mirian of such a favor as he walked down the stairs to show on his face.

Mirian watched him go, the promise of looking into her brother's murder left on her pointed ears and once he was gone, a frown lit her face, one that seemed just as sour as his mood had gotten. Sighing out her breath, she turned to head down the hallway, hearing the door to the King's chamber unlatching before opening, and she hid the sad expression when Gabriel walked out into the corridor before her.

Upon seeing him, Mirian gave him a smile, and she greeted him, "Lord Gabriel, is your father well enough to receive his delivery?"

Gabriel looked up, and when he saw Mirian, he smiled brightly. "Oh, yes, by all means, my lady."

Mirian couldn't help a little chuckle. Despite the fact that Gabriel was, in fact, a Prince, she'd found she cared for the boy just as much as she would a child of her own, even if she was only seventeen years old. She'd helped a good bit with taking care of him after his mother passed away in child birth when she was younger, and Gabriel was a very intelligent young man who had always seemed to look up to bother Anamirian and Marcelle as a sort of aunt and uncle figure to him.

They'd come to have a relationship which constantly mocked the way servant and noble treated one another, and the only reason Mirian allowed him to joke in such a fashion when they were alone was because she knew for a fact that Gabriel was smart enough to understand the real importance behind her proper treatment of his social status with her own being that of a servant.

"Thank you, My Prince," she smiled and made a slight curtsy as he held the door for her, and then walked into the King's chamber while Gabriel shut the door behind her.

Seriun looked over when he heard the voices, and in seeing the young servant, he smiled, saying, her name as if they were two separate terms with a short pause in between them, "Ana, Mirian. What a pleasant surprise to see you again, my girl."

Mirian blushed as she walked over to the bedside and settled her tray down. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I'm glad you seem to be in a much more fitting state to your true nature of cheerfulness as well."

"Ahh, you always were too kind to an old man, ever since you were just a lass I could settle on my knee with your brother." Seriun smiled over the thought, having known Mirian's parents very well. When Mirian's mother had passed away delivering her - an event which may have been the reason she and Gabriel had bonded so well - Seriun had her father, who was then the Captain of the Knights, move into the Palace to live due to needing help with raising the baby and keeping up with his work at the same time.

Mirian tried not to think too much about Marcelle however, looking over at Seriun quietly as she shook her head, "No, I don't think I give you enough credit, my King. But I did need to ask you something. Risek wanted me to sit in with you during the evenings when he would usually do so while he's away. I know that's irregular, but I promised him I would do so. I wanted to make sure that is fine with you."

"Do you really need to ask that, modest lady?" Seriun's eyes had shut as he rested, but he was still quite awake. His smile was warm and friendly, and he told her, "I would be honored to have the company of such a lovely young lass in the evenings. But in return, I only ask one favor of you."

Mirian bowed her head forward in humility over his praise and asked, "What would that be, Your Highness?"

Seriun paused for a moment, hearing the terms she'd used to address him, and he told the red head, "Actually, I have two things to ask of you. First, call me Seriun whenever you sit with me. After all, royalty bears little meaning when I've been bedridden, and once you face a mortal scare, you come to respect someone addressing you simply for who you are without formality attached to it. Is this agreeable?"

Mirian glanced up at her King, then she nodded and decided she really didn't have much of a choice, saying, "I'll try not to let habit stand in the way."

The King smiled brightly and chuckled a little. "Good. Second, I would like for you to try to watch Risek for me whenever he returns. I know the two of you were once acquaintances, so I thought it would be easier for you than anyone else. I want to know how he's really doing. He always acts as if he's fine, but deep down, I know he's troubled over everything."

Mirian, hearing the words, had sobered up from their previous compliments to one another, and she nodded slowly. "You're right, but he just tries to stay strong for us all. I'll do this for you, however, I fear I may be no good at it. He's not likely to open up to me either."

Seriun chuckled softly, replying, "You never know, young lady. You may stumble across something without even meaning to."

---

Outside of the Palace, the day was showing a bright sun without the cover of clouds in the sky. A contingency of horses with two carriages bearing the crest of Althor were settled waiting in the yards outside of the front entrance to the brick and marble Palace, and Charlain stood there with the Ambassador outside of them, speaking while they awaited Risek's arrival.

"Don't let him upset you, my dear. He _is_ your brother, after all, and it's sometimes the jobs of siblings to get on one another's nerves. I had one of each myself."

Charlain let a sigh out through her nostrils and then looked over at Arrik, her father-in-law, and slowly shrugged her shoulders, "I know that. But he could at least treat me with some kind of respect. I could take care of this Kingdom just as well as he can."

"I know that," Arrik offered the young Althorian Princess a kind smile. "You would make a wonderful and perfectly acceptable Queen, Charlain. Risek is simply burdened with both responsibility and your Father's illness, not to mention the recent loss of his best friend Marcelle."

"Well," Charlain started in response, "I still don't think he'll do well going to Hyrule for now. They won't like his demeanor. You know, I also think he's just jealous sometimes because his mother wasn't as distinguished as Gabriel's and mine."

"Charlain."

The voice had come from behind them, and Charlain spun around. It had been a stern, and very serious sound, dropping like a stone over Charlain and stopping any other words she might've spoken. Risek stepped down the steps from the main entrance of the Palace and toward the courtyard where the horses were settled. He'd heard every word about their mothers, and he didn't look pleased - even less than he normally did.

Stopping near his sister, his eyes having gone to a much darker shade of emerald, he informed her on a voice that was soft but also serious and very meaningful, "I don't ever want to hear mention of my mother on your lips again. Do you understand me?"

Charlain stared at her older half brother quietly, his clipped words as cold as they got, and she rolled her eyes slightly to hide the fact that he'd actually startled her just then and nodded her head. "Fine, Risek. I won't mention her again."

Risek gave her a look that said he didn't believe her, one that was stern and, as his nickname suggested, made of stone, and he turned to head to the carriage, saying to Arrik, "I'm ready. Let's get underway."

Charlain watched as he opened the door for the Ambassador, and while Arrik climbed into the carriage, she told Risek, "You know, you don't have to treat me as if I'm insubordinate, Risek. I _am_ the Grand Duchess of Meley, after all, and I'm definitely not incompetent."

Giving his sister a bland look, Risek sighed out his breath before telling her, "Then go to Meley." Turning, he got into the carriage himself and shut the door, leaving his sister with a highly annoyed expression on her face, and he could hear her calling from outside of the carriage as they started moving off that she was glad he'd be gone for a while.

Arrik heard the words as well, and he simply smiled and informed the Prince, "You know, I'm glad your squabbles with your sister don't cause bad blood between you and my son."

Risek's lips slanted slightly, not really a smile, but also hinting that he might have been a little amused. "No, I have no qualms with Lukas. I do, however, feel badly for him and what he has to deal with."

Arrik smiled at Risek, sitting back in his seat comfortably. Risek, in turn, finally made a little smirk of his own, and with a shake of his head, he added, "I love my sister, she's blood, and a good person deep down, but somehow, recently, she's changed."

"Yes, you're right, Risek. Things aren't as they used to be. But give her a chance. She's recently received new title and responsibility, and like you, is having to adjust to those changes. She's not different, simply coping as you are."

He was right, Risek knew as much, but while he would always give his sister a chance, he just didn't have high hopes that she would fulfill them. Still, he had other things to consider besides his sister's qualities, and he decided to focus his attention on that instead. After all, Hyrule would take a day and a half to travel to, and then it would take another half a day or so to make it to the Palace where they were heading. So with two days or so of travel ahead of him, Risek didn't want to spend much of that time dwelling on the problems he had with Charlain.

Instead, he was curious to see now exactly what waited for him in Hyrule. After all, it was supposedly the gem of the Goddesses, which of course was a high praise to live up to. Staring from his carriage window now, watching the more familiar buildings passing by along the cobblestone road, vines with brightly colored blossoms in bloom on them climbing the walls and even some of the street posts and signs, he considered this while citizens on horse back made their way, some walking and carrying different items back and forth as afternoon dawned on them.

Many stopped to look, watching the royal carriages passing them by, mountains rising up in the distance to set off the scenery of the nicely kept town of Althor's Kingdom. Those mountains, which sported white peaks due to the cold up high, sported two passes, one to the south, and the other to the northwest, which was the one to be taken to Hyrule. The range itself nearly completely separated Hyrule from Althor, called the Endigan Range, which was the Althorian word for Ancient, and in some royal texts, was also translated as Forbidden. The Althorians considered the mountain range to be sacred nonetheless, forbidden or not, and as the carriages carrying the Prince and his diplomats reached the northwestern pass as they went, things began to get more and more unfamiliar.

_Two Days Later_

On the other side of the pass, through the Gerudo Desert, into the plains and the fields of Hyrule, standing at its northern region, the Palace would eventually come into view, overlooking the land like a king in itself. It was a bit cloudy that afternoon, but not to the extent that light was completely blocked out, though it did cast a very slight gloomy feel to the afternoon.

The Althorian's were scheduled to arrive that day at any time. Knights had been sent out to meet their caravan and escort them safely to the Palace across the fields. While this was happening, Zelda was standing on the large balcony of her parents chambers, looking out at Death Mountain quietly. She'd had a wonderful week, ever since the Court Session, somehow things had started to feel much less burdensome to her.

Of course, it might have been due to the surprise that Impa gave her. On the morning after Zelda and Link had broken their promises to one another, Impa informed Zelda that her lesson plan was going to change slightly. Since Zelda's prowess in the magic arts, while not fully developed - though Impa often taught that magical prowess was never fully developed - was in fact more advanced than they should have been for the Princess's young age, Impa had wanted to start more of Zelda's training in the melee field of arts as they had begun but never finished so long ago.

Impa brought in a special instructor too. She figured that, since Link was so well versed with many different types of weapons, he would probably be the perfect teacher for Zelda, and Impa knew he'd already been working with her on it before anyway, only stopping because their schedules had grown so different there for a while. So Zelda had been learning under their tutelage much more than she'd known before, and Link, as he had already found out, remembered just how much of a quick study that Zelda was.

Aside from training under Link's well honed skills - which made them both happy because they could spend that time together which they'd missed so much of - Zelda and Link also announced to their parents the plans they'd thought of to have the wedding. When mentioned to Hadinaru, he almost demanded that they did, in fact, have a wedding in Kakariko, because he wanted to see much more closely where his daughter had grown up and who there knew her as a child. Of course, a royal wedding would have to be performed in the Palace as well, but the thought of two weddings, even if planning for them would take some time and consideration, was definitely a plausible one.

Zelda had gone to her parents room that afternoon once her lesson with Link had been completed because Nissandra had requested her to come by and take a look at materials for a wedding gown to be crafted from. Zelda, staring out at the fields, waited when Nissandra stepped through the columns behind her and looked up to see how her daughter looked to be stuck in a daydream.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to find them," Nissandra said as she headed toward Zelda. "I'd put them in my chest and not my sewing box."

Zelda smiled, looking over at her mother as the Queen stood next to her, holding in her hands several square cut clothes of materials that were all white and off white in color. Zelda pointed at one of two of them, and Nissandra agreed that the floral patterns across them were definitely lovely. "I was thinking that we should use a pale green to offset the white colors," Zelda suggested, "or maybe a pale blue."

"Why green?" Nissandra asked curiously, switching to the next clothe while they went through them.

"Well, it's been Link's favorite color since he was a boy, and being a Spring wedding, I thought it seemed fitting."

"I see," Nissandra smiled, "you know, you two will definitely have an advantage to marriage that most people don't in having known one another for so long."

"Oh, wait,"Zelda stopped her, taking the next clothe as one of her favorites, then she continued on with the conversation, "yes, I know. Of course, don't tell him I said the pale green is because he likes it."

"Why not?" Nissandra asked, setting the next clothe to the side.

"Because he'll try to argue and say that I should use my own favorite."

Nissandra chuckled softly, handing another favorite to her daughter before she added, "Well, if there's two weddings, and he finds out, you can use your favorites at the other."

"That's an idea," Zelda smiled, and having finished going through the materials, she took hers to a chaise chair sitting on the balcony next to a table where Nissandra's cat, a white Persian named Mellin was settled, and Zelda sat beside the animal, reaching out to scratch her ears. Nissandra went to sit beside of her daughter and she put the clothes they'd decided against on the table before taking the ones her daughter held to go through them.

"Mother, how are you feeling in the mornings now?"

"Oh, sick," her mother chuckled, "but I have more of an appetite here lately as well. I've started to show a bit too, but not in these dresses," she smiled, looking over at Zelda. "When you have your own, I'm fairly sure, with as concerned as he is over your well being, that Link will go crazy for a while with your constant illness at first."

Zelda started chuckling softly, nodding her head in consideration of the events. With her mother having mentioned the day that Zelda might carry a child, she thought to the event that had taken place a week ago now between herself and Link and rested easy in the knowledge that she wasn't pregnant. One thing that Zelda had learned when living as a commoner in Kakariko was the use of several different herbs, roots, and leaves for medicinal purposes. One of the roots, which was called Redstring due to its red appearance and string like shape, had a much more unknown purpose outside of its common one.

Commonly, the root was used as a painkiller, and it was fairly effective as one. Many shamans carried a batch of the root for use in their works and it wasn't uncommon at all for a shaman to be asked for some of the relieving plant. But the second purpose was used in birth control, a use which was not only very overlooked and unknown to most, but also came in very handy for the cases of rape that sometimes reared its ugly head.

The root had to be crushed and mixed in with a drink, or could be swallowed as it was, though the taste wasn't very desirable. Shamans never gave Redstring to royals because of the effects it had on a woman's body, and royals had a duty to procreate which they eagerly sought out. The root was more popularly used long before Zelda's time for birth control however, but was eventually stopped because it was far too effective. This led to several problems with infidelity and other such matters. But killing pain so easily as it did kept it about, and another plus was that the root was very hard to collect unless you were a professional herbalist or botanist.

Zelda knew how to grow it though, and collect the root without killing the plant that grew from it. She'd had some in her tea that morning, and she knew that not even Link was aware of the root and its uses. Well, not that particular use anyway. Zelda had simply told him there was nothing to worry about, she was confident in it. Link seemed to trust her, and she'd kissed him reassuringly.

"I'm sure he will," Zelda smiled in reply to what her mother had said, then heard the door opening behind them. Both ladies turned and looked back to see Hadinaru walking into the room with something in his hands. Pushing herself up, Zelda offered her mother a hand of assistance, and Nissandra took it with a thank you to her daughter.

Smiling, Hadinaru stepped toward them both, asking, "How are you lovely ladies doing today?"

"Oh stop it, Hadin," Nissandra scolded him playfully. Then she spotted what her husband was carrying, wrapped in a protective clothe, and she smiled, "I see you've managed to finally have it finished."

"Yes," he nodded, "sadly not in time for her birthday, but close enough."

"What?," Zelda asked curiously. "Something for me?"

"Mmm hmm," Hadinaru nodded. "I started having a sword crafted for you after learning that you'd taken up some lessons and had yet to acquire one. I thought it would be suiting for you."

He held out the clothe to his daughter containing the item, and Zelda's brows raised in surprise. "Oh," she replied, taking the sword into her gloved hands. Slowly, she pulled the protective cloth from the sheathed weapon, looking over the silver inlaid basket hilt with a guard that pointed out on both sides. The handle was a dark pink to red in color, and Zelda smiled, seeing that the scabbard, which matched the hilt in color, was marked with symbols of the Triforce and that of the royal family. Pulling the blade halfway out, she also realized the metal was marked with prints of the same type along its length, and the symbols made her think of the amulet she'd lost, creating a fond connection for her to the object she held now.

Zelda sighed and pushed the blade back into the scabbard, then went to her father and hugged him in thanks. "It's beautiful. I just hope I never have to use it," she chuckled out softly.

Hadinaru smiled and laughed softly as he gave her a hug in return, replying, "As do I, but I thought it would be a fitting gift for you, especially since Link is completing more of your instruction."

Zelda nodded, standing back from the King and she put the clothe back over the weapon she now held, saying, "Yes, I'm sure he'll like this blade as well. Though, I don't think he'd appreciate the color."

Both of her parents chuckled softly, and while Nissandra picked up Mellin and began to pet the cat, she changed the subject slightly, remembering something, "Oh, love, have you heard any word from our incoming visitors?"

Hadinaru nodded, and the affirmation got Zelda's attention. "Yes, I came to also let you both know they've been spotted coming through the fields now."

"Oh!," Zelda drew out, feeling a bit caught off guard with the mention that the Althorians were already so close. "I need to go make sure I'm presentable then." With those words, she kissed her mother's cheek and promised to return to looking through the materials for a wedding gown soon. Nissandra just grinned and watched her daughter giving her father a kiss and then heading back inside to go do as she'd suggested.

Hadinaru smirked ad reached to pet the cat his wife held, saying, "I think she's so interested in learning as much as she can that she forgets she's already put on the gown she wanted to wear when meeting the Althorians."

Nissandra laughed softly, chastising her husband with the reply, "Now, now, there's more to a lady's proper appearance than the gown she wears."

The words had her husband grinning, understanding far too well the female's need to look as proper as possible. Though he never really understood the motivations for the extremes they could take. Which in a way made him appreciate that, as far as he knew, the Althorians coming were all men. Hopefully that would put less strain on their time frames.

But the caravan could be seen from the balcony now, heading with the contingency of knights coming over the horizon in the fields. Link wasn't with those knights, but had stayed in the Palace for his lesson to his fiancee that day, and hearing that the Althorian caravan had been spotted, he headed to Zelda's chambers to find her and see if she already knew, though he got the feeling she did.

One thing he could say for certain however was that he could tell everyone felt the need to be presentable. The maids had been cleaning all day, and everyone was doing last minute preparations. It made Link wonder about the Althorians for a moment.

He hoped they'd would notice, and he also hoped they could get along.


	14. Familiar Strangers

_Chapter 13 - Familiar Strangers_

When Link arrived at Zelda's quarters, he found Nissa flying down the hallway, heading in the same direction. Upon spotting him, Nissa said, "Link! Did you see the caravan!?"

"No, Nissa," he shook his head. "I was just coming to tell Zelda they were arriving though."

"So was I actually," Nissa responded, and she excitedly flew over his head, urging him on, "Go on, knock! I'll bet we can see the caravans from her balcony by now!"

Smiling, Link reached up and did just that. But there was no answer from inside of the room, and instead, one came from behind them both. "Looking for someone?"

Link and Nissa looked back, and Link smiled, nodding his head and kissing Zelda's cheek whenever she came over to him and went to open her doors. "Yes, the diplomats from Althor have arrived. Father told me to come and find you just incase you didn't know yet."

"Ah," Zelda nodded in response, then told Nissa hello as she opened her door. Once it was opened, she added, "I know, I was just coming to make sure I looked presentable."

"You look fine to me," Nissa informed Zelda honestly before adding, "let's go to your balcony! I want to see if we can spot them or not."

"Alright," Zelda replied, and then she stopped and looked at Link. "Oh, I forgot, look what my Father gave me."

She held out the object she'd been carrying with her wrapped in the protective clothe, and Link took it to see what it was. Upon unveiling the sword, he smiled and gave an approving nod of his head. Nissa spoke before he could however, "Oh, it's lovely, Zelda!"

"And lightweight," Link grinned.

Zelda smirked, knowing he was trying to tease her as he handed it back to her once he'd inspected it before she set the item onto the bed for the moment, and then she turned to go to the balcony with them like Nissa had suggested. As she went, she said, "I know it's not the Master Sword, Link, but it's mine."

"I didn't say anything," he told her with a grin while she opened the doors to step outside and gave him a knowing look in the process. Shaking her head at him, she finally turned her attention to what they were heading outside to spy, and surely enough, the contingency of riders could be seen heading toward the Palace now. As they watched, the banners of the Kingdom of Althor waving in the wind from the two horses leading the caravan consisting of several roofed wagons and white horses, Nissa spoke, "It's so...so..."

"Royal," Zelda supplied.

"Yeah," Nissa drew out. Landing on Link's shoulder since he was closer, she asked, "Who are they again? Diplomats and ambassadors, right?"

"And the Prince," Link nodded, "to discuss terms of their relations with Hyrule again."

Looking over at him with the mention of their purpose, Zelda lifted her brows and took in a breath, "This should all be very interesting."

Link couldn't say he disagreed with the assessment, standing up from leaning on the railing and turning with Nissa still settled upon his shoulder in order to walk back inside while Zelda headed to the mirror to make sure she was presentable.

Link watched her lifting her brush and dragging it through her hair to straighten it all out, understanding just as Hadinaru had considered earlier - though maybe even better considering much of his life had been spent with women alone - that females liked to make sure they looked good at all times. Though like the King, Link couldn't understand the complete motivation behind it, at least, not to the level that women seemed to seek it out. But the sight of her taking care of her appearance in the mirror made him smirk a little as he told her, "You're beautiful, you know."

"You're biased."

Link shrugged, "That doesn't change the facts, my lady."

Zelda started chuckling softly, standing up straight and getting the bodice of her dress settled properly before she turned around and asked, "Are you going to go to the throne room with your father?"

Link shook his head no, "Actually, I was assigned to patrol today with Doyle. So I'll probably be spending the evening dodging water balloons while you're having dinner with fancy diplomats," he grinned.

Zelda couldn't help but softly laugh over the thought of him trying to patrol with Doyle ambushing him around every corner, and asked, "Then you'll have to wait until court tomorrow before you meet them, right?"

Link nodded, and Nissa looked up at him and asked, "Can I join you? There won't be much to do with the Althorians around."

"I don't mind," Link replied to the fairy, then he looked over at Zelda. "You should go before they can get any closer. Otherwise you'll be late to meet them."

"Yes," Zelda agreed, grabbing his arm with a smile on her face before he could walk away completely, which caused him to look back, and when he did, she kissed him. Link smirked over her actions and returning the kiss before she pulled her lips back and told him, "Be safe, Link."

"I will. I'll see you later." Smiling at her, Link turned to leave her chambers, and she walked to the door behind him, heading out into the corridor. She watched him, tugging the blue windsock out of his belt before settling it onto his head as he went, which made her smile just before she heard her name called. Glancing over, she spied Myriad heading down the hallway behind her.

"Zelda, I take it you saw the caravans."

"Yes, I was just going to find my parents."

"Good, then I'll join you," she smiled. Turning so they could both head off, Myriad looked Zelda's outfit over, the white and pink gown definitely attractive on the young lady, nodding her head in approval. "I see the maids have your wardrobe under their thumbs as well."

Zelda smiled, knowing exactly what Myriad meant. If there was one thing that the chambermaids - specifically Arlina - was concerned with, it was making sure their royals and nobility looked presentable. Myriad herself was wearing a fairly fancy garment, one with shear material etched with white patterns against the edges covering her long sleeves, hanging down from the elbows.

"Yes, we're well kept I suppose," Zelda smirked, turning to walk down the hallway with the Sage of Light.

Myriad smiled, adding, "That we are. I simply hope the Althorians can agree. Since Althor holds such traditional values, it's important to be dressed appropriately, for the older, more conservative Althorians anyway. I know how superficial it all is, but it does tend to make quite the difference."

Zelda smiled, heading down the stairs with the nicknamed Lady of Light, and once they reached the landing, she asked her, "So, how do you think Prince Risek will be then?"

"Well, I'm sure, if he's anything like his parents, he'll be most respectful and, in his own way, very humorous. But we'll just have to see what traits mother nature chose to give him alone."

"I hope they're good ones," Zelda replied, stepping through the main hall of the Palace and into the Foyer, finding her parents standing there waiting for both her and for the Althorians to arrive in their home.

"Your Majesty," Myriad called out, "I found her with a young Knight, so I had him sent to the dungeons and brought her here to be reprimanded."

Hadinaru grinned and let a chuckle over the comment, then told Myriad, "Well, being the adept jailor you are, I'll let you handle the young Knight." Smiling as they arrived, he put a hand on Zelda's shoulder and asked, "Are you nervous?"

"A little," she replied honestly.

Both of her parents smiled at her and Hadinaru nodded, "Good. I am too."

Zelda lifted a brow at him in suspicion. "You couldn't tell it by simply looking, Father."

"Years of practice in hiding it," Nissandra informed her, smiling over the remark before Myriad's soft chuckle sounded from next to them.

That made Zelda smile, and she relaxed her stance a bit. Standing between both of her parents, she looked at the doors and waited, wondering when they might open and who they might reveal. It somehow seemed to last forever, but then happened just like that. The doors came to and Hylian soldiers assigned to stand watch stepped inside of them, then turned to face one another, revealing behind them a grouping of Althorians whom were all finely dressed - some in vestments with decorations of their social status in the form of medallions around their necks made of silver and inlaid with gems - stepped through the doors.

Most of their clothing was white, silver, and black, and the first two who headed the rest were offering friendly smiles to the royals before them now, the one on the right a bit older, sporting a white beard on his face that was well kempt. He had a prestigious look about him, and a pair of silver eyes, oddly enough considering the color of his hair and clothing, which all gave the man an experienced.

"Your Majesties!," he greeted the Royal Family awaiting them as he stepped forward, bowing respectfully to the King of the lands they were currently visiting along with the young man to his right. "I am Ambassador Arrik, preceding the man I believe you knew, Theowen. I'm very honored to meet you finally."

Hadinaru smiled at the Ambassador, nodding his head in recollection of the previous diplomat, "Thank you, Ambassador. Yes, I would like to pass my condolences on to you. Theowen served his Kingdom well when I knew him, and I'm sure you will precede him just the same." Hadinaru smiled at the man, then turned to his wife and daughter, holding his hand up to each as he introduced them both, "This is my wife Nissandra, and my daughter, Zelda."

More of the diplomats had entered the room, all listening to the conversation. There were five in all, including the Ambassador, and Arrik looked first to Nissandra, and then down at Zelda, standing a good two heads taller than her, making him almost her father's height. He gave her a very friendly smile, and his bow was completely gentlemanly.

"My ladies," he greeted, and once he stood again, he added, "I've heard of the affairs that took place which stole the Princess from you. I don't mean to bring up such a heartbreaking story, however I also wanted to extend condolences, as well as my own happiness that she is back with her family again." He looked at Zelda, his smile genuine, "It's wonderful to meet you."

"Thank you," Zelda replied on a soft voice, then added with a smile of her own in place on her lips, "I'm happy to have the chance to greet you all upon arrival as well, Ambassador Arrik."

Hadinaru smiled over his daughter's greeting, then he looked at Arrik, adding, "Also, this lady here," he motioned to Myriad, "is my most trusted advisor, Myriad."

"Ah," Arrik drew out, seeming completely pleased to meet her, "Yes, Lady Myriad, stories of your endeavors in this Kingdom have spread far and wide."

Myriad gave the man a pleasant smile, bowing her head forward respectfully as she greeted him, "Ambassador. I am humbled, as well as pleased to make your acquaintance."

Arrik waved a hand and asked, "Please, call me Arrik. I see no reason for such formalities outside of Court."

"I agree," Hadinaru nodded. "After all, we need to all feel comfortable with ourselves before things can continued with ease. We wanted to give you a tour of our home while your things are settled into your quarters if this is agreeable. My staff will first lead you to the chambers assigned to you, and if all is satisfactory, we'll be meeting in the Throne Room for such a tour."

"Splendid," Arrik smiled, then he seemed to remember his manners and asked, "Oh, pardon me. This," he motioned to the man on his right, "is Alarun, my assistant, though I do believe he's after my position."

They chuckled and Alarun, a younger man with short, brown hair gave the Royals a bow of respect, and Arrik introduced the others, before he looked back as if to try to find someone. Zelda and her parents guessed he was looking for the Prince since he'd yet to introduce the man, and with a sigh, Arrik responded, "I believe our crowned Prince became a bit distracted outside with a problem we'd had. One of our carriages had to have a wheel replaced on the way here, but thankfully, it didn't delay us at all."

In hearing this, Hadinaru nodded in understanding, and they waited for the Althorian Prince to show up. Finally, outside of the doors and up the steps that led to them, was heard footsteps in that moment, and Arrik chuckled, "Ah, right on time."

Zelda spotted the Althorian with black hair and dark armor made of obsidian and deep blues with a matching cape on his back stepped up toward the door and walked inside. Settled on his hip was an intricately designed cutlass, and his hair was cropped to frame his face which possessed a pair of green eyes that was the tone of peridot.　　He had a somewhat flat in expression but weathered in a way, as if, for his age which couldn't have been much more than Zelda's, he'd seen a great deal of things.

The expression reminded her of some that Link sometimes got when he was in a much more serious mood in many ways, and she couldn't help but look him over as he approached them. Coming to stop, the same height as Hadinaru but taller than Arrik as well as both of the ladies, Arrik introduced him.

"This, as you have guessed, is our Prince, Risek Miason, attending in the stead of his ill father."

Risek had lowered his head respectfully, his voice strong and deep when he spoke, "Your Majesties, it's a pleasure to meet you again. While I am in your Kingdom, please know that I am at your service."

Hadinaru couldn't help a grin, replying, "Such a service is appreciated, but not necessary. You are indeed your father's son, I can tell. We used to debate when visiting one another's lands as to who was in the service of whom." The King smiled over the memory while Risek lifted his head and gave a polite nod.

"Yes, he often speaks fondly of you, my Lord."

Hadinaru smiled, asking Risek in return, "So, do you remember us?"

Risek's face was still a bit flat, though there was a hint there that he might've smiled over what he remembered, "Of course. I remember specifically the chocolate truffles I was given in secret by your wife when we stayed here."

Nissandra smiled brightly at the young man, replying, "I'd actually forgotten that part. But it is good to see you now and how well you've turned out."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Hadinaru, still smiling, gave the introduction of his family again in order to catch Risek up to speed, though this time he settled on Zelda since Risek already remembered Nissandra. "Well, you know my wife, but this is my daughter, Zelda. She's about four or five years younger than you are. Zelda, you remember what I told you of King Seriun and his son."

"I do," she nodded, giving the Prince a polite smile, bowing her head just as respectfully to him as he had to her and her family a few moments before. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Risek watched her standing back up straight and gave a nod of his head in agreement, somehow seeming to take her in under some kind of consideration whenever she rose back up, and then he spoke, though his words didn't seem to be very animated, "The pleasure is all mine, my lady."

Chuckling sounded from Arrik who looked over at Zelda, and then at the King once again, the doors behind them shutting at the hands of the guards who'd opened them when staff members brought the belongings of the diplomats into the room, and Arrik began, "Well, I believe we are ready to be seen to our rooms before re-adjourning in the Throne Room to continue this discussion and receive the tour of your lovely home."

"Yes, indeed," Hadinaru agreed, then looked at his servants and added, "Please see them all to their chambers."

"Yes, Your Highness," one of the men told him, then looked over at the group of Althorians, including their own servants and guards, adding to them, "If you would please, follow us."

Zelda turned with her father as he walked toward an opposite exit, looking back to see the servants taking the utmost care of the Althorians, wondering quietly what they thought so far of what they'd seen of the Kingdom. But that aside, she got the innate feeling that Risek was interested in her for some reason, but she couldn't be sure of what that was.

Time would tell, she supposed, walking to the Throne Room now with her family and pushing the thought from her mind for the time being.

---

The tour was given before the diplomats and their Prince adjourned to have a banquet which had been prepared by the King and Queen in the Althorians honor with other nobles attending. Impa, and Lyonel were a few along with Myriad, and once they had their seats and were served, their discussions carried on from before.

"So, King Hadinaru," Alarun, Arrik's assistant began, "you were taught by Althorian scholars, weren't you?"

Hadinaru chuckled at the mention of his schooling, giving a nod of his head while he drew his knife across a roll he'd taken to spread a bit of butter over it and allow it to melt. "That I was. Nissandra stayed in Althor for a few years with her own studies as well. Which reminds me, Arrik, an issue I wanted to discuss in Court is that of our educational institutes. There was once a policy between our kingdoms that allowed our students to attend universities where they deemed to be fit. I would like to try to institute such a policy once again."

"Yes, that was something I'd thought briefly over myself," the Ambassador replied. "I know that it would please Seriun to once more see an influx of Hylians attending his institutes, as well as to see Althorians wishing to broaden their own horizons."

Arrik lifted his goblet to a passing servant offering a bit of refreshment, and as the red liquid was poured into the cup he held without being spilled, he smiled at the attending servant and went on, "One thing I have to bring up is Seriun's concern for his people now. He feels there's a lack of interest in the kingdom that has grown since our two peoples lost contact. He worries that they forget their patriotism in the face of seclusion, as if to say that so long in one another's company without the interference or interest of outside relations has made them forget what it means to be a Kingdom."

"I can see how that would be on his mind," Hadinaru returned, "and I hope what we're doing here can help to fix that."

"Cheers," Arrik smiled and lifted his goblet. In turn, everyone else did so as well, and taking sips of their drinks, Arrik looked over at his Prince and said, "Risek has done well to keep the people from becoming that stale body himself. Since the King's illness, he has taken up the effort of maintaining forms of activities for them to keep things flowing smoothly."

Hadinaru gave a nod of his head, then offered Risek a smile, asking, "What kinds of activities?"

Risek, still the expressionless man he was, though his face didn't seem stern at that moment, simply thoughtful, replied, "I've allowed several heads of their divisions to devise methods to rally new members to their efforts or keep interest in old members. I'm also investing mostly in schools, offering new curriculums to students under the aide of royalty who fit the specifications required.."

Arrik smiled, adding, "Essentially, to the students interested in the new classes, as long as their credentials are fitting and they fall under the proper standards, they've been taking these new classes without any financial worry to the families."

Hadinaru thought over that, considering it was a sound plan. As he thought, Myriad, who'd just taken a sip from her goblet, asked in curiosity, "Althor is funding them?"

"No, actually," Arrik replied, "Risek is overseeing this particular project alone."

That surprised most of them. Zelda lifted her brows, thinking to commend Risek when Nissandra said, "That must get rather costly."

Risek replied simply, "That doesn't concern me. It's more important to know what the people need to keep the Kingdom flourishing than worrying over personal expenses. If it weren't for the people, I would have none to begin with, nor would my family. Knowing the types of studies we need to incorporate to further careers in our Kingdom is more than worth its weight in any gold I spend."

Hadinaru's face slowly turned up a bright smile, and he nodded his head. Looking at his daughter, he told her, "This was the type of thing that Seriun would do for his own people if he could. So now you can see why I have such respect for them."

"Thank you," Risek replied, his words sounding sincere, and Arrik looked grateful for the compliment.

Zelda nodded her head, looking back at Risek with a smile on her face, asking, "How many students are you funding?"

"Three," he replied to her, "but possibly six upon my return, if the situations for them are right."

"Then they have to meet a certain income requirement?," Zelda asked in response.

Risek gave a simple nod of his head without explanation besides that, and he finally looked over at her. Zelda gave him a smile when he did finally, but before more could be spoken, Arrik got their attentions.

"I hate to interrupt the conversation, but I was curious about this dish being served."

"Ask my wife," Hadinaru chuckled, "she knows more about it than I do."

Nissandra had already looked at the plate, and she realized what he'd bitten into. "Yes, that's a dish called Water Steak that the Zora prepare, which is eaten either raw or fried. It comes from a large fish in our Lake Hylia called a Killjoy by sailors here."

"Killjoy?" Arrik asked curious.

Myriad had chuckled over the story, drawing the Ambassador's attention, and Lyonel supplied, "There's fish tales that the fish in question get big enough to take chunks out of the bottom of a boat, and the first boat it ever sank was a merchant vessel carrying ale and other alcoholic drinks, which killed the joy of the recipients."

Arrik was flat faced for a moment, then he grinned and let a laugh out. Most of the diplomats seemed amused, and Zelda smiled, then saw that Risek still hadn't smile or given any type of indication that he was humored. She was growing ever more curious about the man and his mannerisms, but the term Prince of Stone popped into her head and she could suddenly see why they would have named him that.

Much of the talks following that revolved around both the sharing of stories, as well as discussions of their Kingdoms futures. When told, it seemed that Hyrule and Althor still had many of the same similarities as before, and while there wasn't much room to really discuss those issues at a banquet, it was promising that things were heading in the right direction.

Once everyone had their fill and the banquet was over to allow the Althorians to return to their rooms, or to go out if they so wished with the accompaniment of assigned escorts, many of them left and some stayed to speak with the people about. Arrik stood with the King and Queen for a short while longer, and Myriad agreed to show some who'd requested more of the arboretum, heading off with her husband in order to do so.

Stepping out into the hallway after dinner, Zelda herself had thought to find Impa and ask her of a few opinions over what had been spoken at the dinner table.　　When she began to walk however, she stopped upon spying someone before her, seeing Prince Risek looking at a mural hung upon the wall over a bust of her grandfather sitting on a table beneath the picture. He seemed to be in quiet thought, and Zelda wasn't sure if she should interrupt him or not, but she did walk toward him quietly.

The picture he was looking at was of scenery of mountains and a valley where a Kingdom was settled, and Zelda looked away from it and toward him, quietly asking, "Prince Risek?"

He narrowed a brow and turned to look back, spotting her standing there looking at him inquisitively. "Oh," he started, turning to face her completely, "I'm sorry, my lady, I didn't see you standing there."

She found it odd how he could seem so aloof, yet not sound that way completely whenever he spoke. With a small smile, she shook her head and informed him, "It's fine, sir. I was simply curious about what you were looking at."

Risek looked at the mural again, and then he lifted a casual hand, telling her, "This picture was painted by my father with the help of my mother. He gave it to your's as a gift. I'd remembered seeing him painting it when I was a child, and I haven't seen it since."

Zelda looked at the picture again in a new light now, and she stepped in a little closer to inspect it. When she did, Risek's eyes lowered and he looked at her from the corner of them, seeming somehow unsure if he should say more or not, though Zelda didn't notice as she looked the painting over and nodded her head with the words, "Your father is a very skilled artist. This just shows how close our Kingdoms were."

"Yes," she heard him reply softly, and she turned her head to look up at him, regarding his expressionless face quietly.

With a softly taken breath, she asked, "Are you worried about him?"

He sighed, then turned away from her to head down the hallway, replying only with the word, "Perhaps," as he moved on, and Zelda narrowed her brows. Maybe she shouldn't have asked that, and in an attempt to fix the problem, she took a few steps forward and spoke to him.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you."

He didn't stop, and instead, just kept walking. Zelda couldn't figure out what that was all about, and with lowered shoulders and an exhaled breath, her brows pursed a bit before she heard her own name being spoken.

"Zelda? Were you talking to someone?"

Turning around, she saw Impa walking up behind her, and she shook her head, "Not really. I was trying to speak with Prince Risek, but I think I offended him, though he wasn't very receptive himself."

"What did he say?"

Zelda sighed with her violet blue eyes turned to the side, and she shrugged, "He was looking at the painting on the wall, and told me his father painted it as a gift to my parents. So I asked him if he was worried about is father being so ill, and he only said perhaps and then walked away. I tried to apologize, but maybe he just didn't hear me."

Impa considered that, looking at the painting, and then down the hallway where the Prince had headed off to, lifting a single brow. "I'm sure that's all it was. You're not worried about it, are you?"

"No," she told her mentor with a smile and a shake of her head. "I'm sure he probably just wants to be at home so he can stay close to his family. But, there's something else, and I can't precisely put my finger on it. Something..."

Impa looked at her while she trailed off, able to see she had a look of innate wisdom on her face, one she knew that told the truth whenever she got it. "Something what?"

Snapping out of her slight daze, the Princess sighed and looked up at Impa, saying, "Something familiar almost." Once again, it was as if she had the answer right there, but no translator for it. Shaking her head, she gave Impa a smile and said, "But if we're meant to find out, we will."

Nodding, Impa decided not to say more on it than that at the particular time, and she turned around, saying to Zelda, "Come on, your father asked me to come find you so you could meet him in the throne room. He wants to know what you think so far."


	15. Greater Meaning

_Chapter 14 - Greater Meaning_

Zelda left the Throne Room after she had a talk with her father over the things discussed in the Banquet Hall, having informed Hadinaru that she thought the Althorians definitely seemed to have some good ideas over certain ways to get things done in their own Kingdom. Valuing his daughter's opinions, Hadinaru kept them all in mind, and allowed her to go run a few personal errands since she had a little spare time on her hands to get them done.

After all, with the Althorians getting themselves settled into the Palace for now, Zelda figured this would be the best time to cut off a few lose ends she had. She had an afternoon class to attend once she was finished, having promised the teacher she would come by to assist, and afterwards, she knew that she could either join the dinner meeting with her parents, or she could make her own plans. Somehow, she thought that perhaps she'd just wait to see how things panned out, and then decide on what she wanted to do the most.

The doors to the library opened, and Zelda walked in, carrying some books in her arms to be returned which was one of the tasks she'd wanted to accomplish with her free time that day. Turning from shutting the door, she stopped suddenly yet again when she saw the figure of Risek sitting there reading a book, coming across him the same way she had in the hallway after the banquet, which was by surprise.

She wasn't daunted, but after feeling as if she might have offended him earlier, she wanted to be careful with her words now.

Having heard her, Risek looked up and over to see her there, and then he glanced back to the pages before he shut the book silently and settled it onto the surface of the table.

"No," Zelda shook her head, "you don't have to leave. I hadn't really planned on staying."

Risek slowly lifted his brow, turning the expression toward her, asking, "Did you think I was going to leave because you'd arrived?"

Zelda clutched the books she held a bit tighter, unsure how to respond to him simply because he seemed so clipped. Shaking her head, however, she said, "No, but to be honest, I wasn't quite sure after what happened between us earlier."

Risek knew she probably thought she'd offended him, and he shook his head slowly, "I apologize for that. You didn't offend me, my lady. It's simply difficult to speak about such things among people I don't know well."

Zelda nodded her head, glad he was saying more than a few words to her now, and that he didn't seem too particularly bothered. She looked at the books she carried then, and took them over to the cart to settle them so they could be placed away later by the librarian.

Once she was done, she turned around to look at him again. "I can understand that," she replied. "So, we don't have to speak of it." Now that she had the chance to get to know a little more about him, she changed the subject and asked, "What were you reading?"

Seeing that she simply wanted to accommodate him if at all possible, Risek gave in and told her, "The Histories of Marxis Belliun. He's a historical figure who was renowned in my Kingdom for bringing new technologies and devices."

"Which included aqueducts, better methods of irrigation, and a better design for large vessels to allow them faster sailing, if I'm not mistaken."

Risek, for once, looked surprised. Glancing over at her curiously once she'd given him a short description of the figure in question without even seeming to have to think about it, he asked, "Did you brush up on your history before we were to arrive?"

"No, actually," Zelda started, walking toward the table, "I read as much as I can, and I love history. I remember Marxis Belliun because his story reminded me of someone I know named Cody who's an exceptional sailor and carpenter, but a terrible horse thief. It just made me think of Belliun's failure at the life of a pirate before settling to become an inventor and a sailor."

The combination of descriptions had Risek lifting a brow, wondering who this Cody could be and how he'd have such a biography, and then he looked back to the book on the desk before him now. After a moment of consideration, he decided that maybe the Princess might offer him some good conversation after all, so he asked, "Would you like to sit down?"

Zelda gave him a little smile and nodded her head, reaching out to take the closest chair to her and pull it from under the table before she settled herself into it. Once she was there, she looked over at him and then down at the book he'd been reading, tilting her head a little. "I could probably read all day long if someone let me. I've been in and out of this library, but I didn't know we had a book solely on Marxis Belliun however."

"It seems fairly accurate from what I've read so far," Risek told her, then he pushed the book toward her incase she wanted to take it with her. "I myself could read several books in quick time. That's why I came here. I had no previous engagements and thought to see more of the library I was shown earlier. You appear to have a wonderful collection here."

Zelda glanced from the book and up at his face, pursing her lips in thought quietly. "I would have invited you to the arboretum and the gardens if I'd known you had nothing to do. I went to check on a few seeds just before I came here. But you're right, the selection is nice. I've been trying to work on gaining even more for it with Myriad's help."

Risek listened, seeming to be highly considerate of the words, and he sat back slowly. "A Princess who returns her own books to the library, plants seeds, and apparently knows her history. Such a refreshing change of pace from what I'm used to with royal women."

Zelda wasn't exactly sure how to take the comments - was he insulting her or commending her? It didn't sound completely bad though, and she asked him, "I take it you're not exactly fond of royal women then?"

"Not most, outside of my mother anyway. I was simply comparing you to my sister actually. If someone doesn't have her chair out for her by the time she's ready to sit, it's off with their heads."

Zelda couldn't help the expression she gave him, which was distasteful, and she shook her head slowly. "Well, I'm glad for that then. I wasn't raised in the Palace anyway. I've only been here for nearing four months now."

"So I've heard. Everyone's been referring to you as the Commoner Princess."

Zelda smiled, sitting back as if proud of that nickname. She'd only read it recently in the Lon Lon Herald, and when she did, she'd smiled. But speaking of nicknames, and seeing a little more of his person now which actually seemed to be agreeable at the moment, and not so stoic as before, she started, "In turn, I heard you're called the Prince of Stone. But you don't seem so stony to me."

"Nor do you seem common," he replied as he'd settled his chin against his fist thoughtfully. The words drew her attention, and he glanced to her face, their eyes meeting in consideration.

Zelda wasn't completely sure how this sudden turnabout had taken place. Her only guess was that the closed quarters made him feel a bit better about being sociable, and she wished she could have seen this side of him earlier - not that she'd expected him to be cruel at all. But she was surprised over just how kind it actually seemed so far that he could be when compared to his mannerisms, such as brushing her off in the hallway without a word. Perhaps he simply needed to settle in first as she'd surmised, and Zelda felt obligated to help him to do so, if only because she wanted his stay to be as pleasant as possible with the thought of his ailing father back in Althor.

Finally, she broke her gaze away from his face with a little smile, asking, "Was that an attempt to flatter me?"

Risek snorted almost soundlessly in amusement, though he never smiled, glancing down before he replied. "No, flattery has no use to me. That was simply the truth. After all, raised in a village and graduating to the Palace isn't precisely typical, my lady." Glancing toward her again, there seemed to be a curious look in his green eyes, and he asked her in addition, "Is it hard to go from such a life to this new one?"

Zelda sighed out her breath, then she slowly nodded. "I wouldn't give up my world here, but there are times when I miss it, when I miss the freedom of going out on my own and doing things for myself without worrying it will end up scandalous or get me into trouble just because of who and what I am."

Risek seemed honestly considerate of those words, as if taking them to heart somehow, looking her over while he thought. Zelda wondered what he might say about it, if she'd be judged badly considering Althor's traditional values, but he only told her, "I'd never really considered it before. I was raised as a Prince, so I haven't really thought of the freedoms to be had behind being a commoner. You've gained an intimate perspective though where most royals can only guess, which gives you a unique stand point."

"I know," she nodded in response. "I also know that on the reverse, most commoners never imagine what it must be like for a royal, thinking it must be so easy, and perhaps, to those who'd dream of such a life, it would be. But eventually they'd come to realize that what they have, as long as their kingdom cares for it, is worth its own weight in rupees."

"Really?," Risek asked as if ready to disagree with her. "When so many can't afford to get proper medical care or food to eat? You would call that worth it's weight?"

"No," Zelda shook her head, "that's what I mentioned in the effects of a Kingdom that doesn't care for it. But when things are equal, each party has advantages and disadvantages. When this Kingdom was still closer to it's former self while I was a little girl living in the village, I wouldn't have traded that life for anything. The family I lived with might have sometimes been in need of money for a little more food, but running outside and playing," Zelda looked up at him, finishing, "we all had exactly what we needed."

Advantages and disadvantages, Risek thought, supposing that some of the things she'd mentioned, such as being your own person for yourself especially, was definitely one that commoners had which he'd lacked. The exchange of personal freedom for the promise of being cared for, he wondered for a moment. Somehow, he could tell her words held a great merit. Had she been a Princess her entire life, she would have eaten properly without worry, and then been ushered off to class and training while looking outside and dreaming about having playtime, or being anywhere but where she was.

In a way, he found that he envied her for that, not that he would have traded his own youth. While it was true, there were times as a child that he wondered why he couldn't go with Marcelle and the others, instead having to attend some type of special class while the boys he knew got to play and do things with their families. But he realized the value of those classes now, so none of it was regrettable to him.

"I think I can see your point," Risek told her with a raised brow. "You make your arguments fluently, and I must admit that I haven't held such a conversation as this in a long while, especially not with a lady."

Zelda couldn't help herself, making a smile over the words, "Well, perhaps you don't associate with the right ones in that case, my lord."

"Perhaps you're right," Risek allowed, "then again, I don't think I've had the time to recently," he added more thoughtfully.

"Well," Zelda started as she took the book on Marxis Belliun into her hands. Standing up, she went on, "If you'd like, we can continue such a conversation later after I finish attending a class I promised a teacher I'd help with." Glancing at the book she held, she looked back down at him from where she stood and added, "We can discuss the old mystery of whether or not Marxis had two wives or one."

Risek watched her taking the book, considering her proposal and though he didn't look at her face, he looked as if he could have been interested in it. "When would this continued conversation be?"

"Well, my dinner hour is free, mother and father are having their dinner meeting with your Ambassador. You could join me then if you cared to. We can meet here, or wherever you'd like to go."

Risek finally looked up at her, slowly nodding his head, "That could be agreeable, my lady."

Smiling despite his flat expression, Zelda replied, "I'll look forward to it," and then she bid him a good evening and went to the door. Risek watched her until the door shut, then he turned his face back to the table top, his arm settling on the back of his chair, thinking quietly to himself.

Reaching up, he tugged his gloves off one by one. It was a slight bit warm that day and the windows weren't open, so he didn't feel the need for the garments, placing them onto the top of the table before thinking to himself about the talk he'd just had with Zelda.

She didn't seem to be exactly what he thought she would. Of course, given her colorful history, he wasn't sure what to expect. He actually liked her thus far - though it was easy to like someone who had more than the air of gossip, fashion, and personal interests constantly floating through their heads. While Risek had his reasons, ones he didn't want to admit to himself, he found this a bit troubling because he didn't particularly _want_ to like Zelda. Getting along with her was fine enough. But liking her was a different story.

Still, it didn't bother him too much that he did, and he earnestly looked forward to their meeting later. Leaning his left arm against the table top as he thought about it, he pressed his chin against his fist.

Something caught his attention in that moment, and he looked down, spying the back of his hand. With narrowing brows, he saw a golden symbol of three triangles placed tip to tip on his skin, and he reached up with his right and rubbed his thumb across it, completely confused over the sudden appearance of the mark.

The top triangle was a solid gold color, the bottom two empty, and he knew what the symbol was of, the fabled Triforce of Hyrule's legend, but why he suddenly had the mark on the back of his left hand he had no idea.

Althor was no stranger to myths, relics, legends, and artifacts, even possessed quite a few of its own. Because of this, Risek knew the mark he saw now - which slowly began to fade away, disappearing into nothingness - had a reason, and he looked over at the door that Zelda had just used and lifted a brow.

Could that mark have been some type of sign? If so, then what? Perhaps he'd been intended to come here for a reason, or then again, it could have had something to do with Zelda. After all, he'd realized she was wearing a pair of dangling golden earrings which carried the same mark. But that could have just been coincidence - after all, that mark was upon many objects in Hyrule, even down to the architecture.

He wasn't sure at all, but it made him curious as to what was the truth. He decided, however, that asking anyone might have been a bad idea when they'd only just arrived, so for now, he would kept this mark a secret, and try to notice when it might return and what the situation was. The one sobering thought however was that it could have meant he was intended for the woman who'd just left the library, and that actually angered him. Risek didn't like the thought that his fate wasn't something he could shape for himself, and he knew that the only way to find out how things might go was to ask about the possibility.

After all, one of his reasons to coming to the Kingdom was to find out if a union was available, and while - specifically now - he hadn't completely relished the idea, once more due to his own reasons that he didn't want to admit and make worse for himself, he was still obligated to duty in bring the Prince of Althor and a vassal to the King, not simply his son.

Having those thoughts in mind, Risek wondered then if he could have ever understood what Zelda had told him clearer. The free will to be your own person, even if you have to scrounge to get by, or to give that free will up with the responsibility a royal title held. Standing from his seat, he decided to find out just how heavy of a burden his might become, not to mention get a truer idea of what the mark he found could have meant.

Hopefully, the meaning behind the Triforce symbol on his left hand wouldn't bare much weight at all.

---

Hadinaru was reading the Lon Lon Herald, standing near a window in the Throne Room, enjoying some quiet time during the evening before his scheduled dinner with the Althorian Ambassador. As he read, he heard the guards opening the front doors, and he looked up and back, wondering who was coming.

Spotting Prince Risek entering the room, a smile came to his bearded face. Wth the visit, he closed the paper he'd been reading and folded it under his arm. "Good afternoon, Risek," he told the Prince in greeting, "How has your day gone so far?"

Risek, still flat faced as he'd ever been, approached Hadinaru and he bowed his head respectfully to the King of the lands he was currently residing in temporarily. "It's gone well, thank you."

"Really? You don't look it, my boy. Is there something bothering you?"

Hadinaru had believed Risek was simply an austere young man, but at that moment, the Prince seemed to be a bit more bothered by something than he had been before. "Perhaps," Risek replied, his head still tilted forward in thought before his green eyes finally lifted to the King's face. "Nothing dire, I assure you, but something I would like to speak to you over nevertheless."

"Hmm," Hadinaru drew out, then gave a nod and offered for Risek to sit with him in a few chairs settled near a large bay window, two of each that lined both walls of the throne room. Risek took him up on the offer, watching Hadinaru settle the Herald onto the table between them, and he lifted a hand, saying, "So tell me what's on your mind."

"It's your daughter," Risek told him, not one for beating around the bush very much once he'd put his mind to something. "She's not bothering me specifically, but one of the things I wanted to ask you about is."

Hadinaru sat back slowly, regarding the young man quietly. He already knew what Risek was going to ask, it was a thought Hadinaru had already entertained the notion of. With that notion in mind now, he said, "You would like to ask if it would be possible to take her hand in matrimony in order to unite our Kingdoms further, wouldn't you?"

Hadinaru's perception got Risek to look up at him, and with a nod of his head, Risek replied, "If it's possible, it would be a good plan of action for us to take. I know you and my father once spoke over such things when I was a child. He was also curious to see if it was still an option."

A small smile lifted Hadainaru's cheeks, and he settled his hand from the table and onto his lap, replying with the words, "I see. You're right, we did discuss it, and it would be a good way to make things more solid. You two might have already been wed if things had gone normally as well."

"I know," Risek replied. "I decided that, even though we only just arrived, if I went ahead and brought the topic up, it would be easier rather than waiting to find out on my own. After all, I want this all to go well, and it could make things easier."

"That it could," Hadinaru nodded, "but I'm afraid that things haven't gone accordingly though, Risek, and she is, in fact, spoken for."

Risek's brows slowly narrowed, though only in consideration and not disappointment. "Spoken for? Engaged?"

"To a Hylian Knight, yes. In fact, he's someone I would like for your people to meet once he returns to the Palace. They mentioned wanting to have the wedding in late Spring to us. That's what we're currently planning for."

"I see," Risek nodded his head slowly, looking back over at Hadinaru. "I'll extend my congratulations to her when I next see her."

Hadinaru watched him as he gave a second respectful nod and then stood with his business completed, stopping the Prince by speaking his name before he could walk away completely. "Risek?"

Coming to a halt, Risek turned his head to look back at Hadinaru, then listened as the King continued, shaking his own head slowly, "If she were not going to be married, I want you to tell your father upon your return to Althor, that I would have been proud for her to take your hand and call you my own son. I can already see the devotion and pride you take in caring for your affairs, and I know that, had Zelda never been stolen from us, she would have been fortunate to have you as well."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Risek told him completely respectfully, then went to the doors of the throne room. Hadinaru, watching him go, let a little smirk lift his lips before he reached for his paper and lifted it again to read. He could only imagine the response Zelda would have if she was informed of this event. But Hadinaru had a mind not to tell her, afraid it might upset her somehow since the fairer sex usually seemed to get more easily frustrated than men did.

But he wasn't surprised that Risek had asked, not at all. The only concern he had would be Althor's acceptance of such an arrangement. While no, Althor had no say over what Hyrule's royals decided was best to do for themselves, it could still affect diplomacy slightly. But he honestly didn't feel as if he had anything to worry over. Arrik seemed to be most agreeable thus far, and Risek hadn't become offended about anything himself. Hadinaru kept those points in mind for future reference.

But on second thought, he considered, lowering his paper for just a moment, it might have been best not to let Link in on that little detail. At least, not until the Althorians left the Kingdom, he thought with a chuckle.


	16. Close Encounter

_Chapter 15 - Close Encounter_

Risek walked down the corridor outside of the Throne Room, heading to his chambers on the second floor with the Diplomats after his talk with Hadinaru. He wasn't completely happy at all, but not because he'd harbored some sort of desire to have Zelda as his wife. Instead, thought not the sole reason, Risek felt as if he might have made the trip for nothing when he could have stayed with his father. Though, it was true, Seriun would have asked that he go anyway, it was just that with this revelation of Zelda's engagement, Risek felt the trip had been much less needed than it was to begin with.

Then there was the mark he'd spied on his hand. That meaning still wasn't clear to him, and he wanted to be careful in whom he showed it to. He didn't feel badly for keeping it a secret from the Hylians either, after all, he wasn't even sure he wanted to tell the Althorians. For now, he felt it best to wait, and use his own intellect to see what it might mean. If, in a few days, he hadn't found his answers, then he would ask someone he considered trustworthy enough to show it to, and while he wanted to lean toward Arrik since the man had been like a second father to him, he didn't get the feeling he could gain as much insight from him as he could from a Hylian.

The Royal Advisor Myriad seemed like a good choice if he didn't decide to ask Arrik about it. Risek had taken into consideration all of those present at the Banquet, and while she'd been silent, she seemed to have some air of wisdom about her that he felt he could trust in a way. He'd sensed the same thing from Zelda so far, but he was unsure of her as she was young and he couldn't be certain she would know completely. The King and Queen were out of the question however. If by chance having the mark was a bad sign, it wouldn't be good to point it out to them during an effort of diplomacy, and this was another reason he currently wanted to keep it a secret altogether, and just figure things out on his own.

As he went down the corridor thinking about this, Zelda emerged from one of the doors on her way to class, and upon seeing him, she offered a smile, but he didn't return it. In fact, his entire demeanor seemed much more frigid than before, and her smile faded, brows narrowed.

"What's wrong, my lord?"

"Don't call me that," he replied simply, heading through the door and then down the steps, and his clipped tone was nothing short of irritated. It actually made Zelda angry, but only because she couldn't figure out which person was the true one - the one who'd just passed her, or the more friendly one she'd met in the library. Was it even her he might have been upset with? Narrowing her brows, she followed him, deciding she wasn't going to let him get away so easily this time. After all, she had a few minutes to spare before the class was to start.

"Then what would you prefer that I call you?"

Unable to see his face as he descended the steps, he replied, "My name is Risek, I am not any lord over you."

"No, but you're still–"

"A Prince?" He asked, coming to a stop. Zelda stopped as well, and she watched him turning to look back at her. While his face didn't look as stern as before, he still sounded completely serious when he spoke his next line. "Perhaps I am a Prince, but that stands for absolutely nothing when it comes to what we really want. You should learn this lesson quickly, Princess Zelda, because in the long run, it will save you much grief."

Zelda kept a straight face as he turned and continued on to the landing, and stepping down a few more stairs herself behind him, she sagely asked, "What is it you're envious of, Risek?"

Risek stopped once again, and even though she couldn't see it, he had a slight look of surprise upon his face. Wiping it all away however, he glanced his green eyes back at her, took in her regal appearance as she stood there with such a knowing expression, and asked her, "Who said I was envious?"

Zelda stayed quiet for a moment, though her violet blue eyes did seem to hold a bit of disappointment in them over the fact that he wasn't acting the same as before, and she simply said in reply, "You know, when I first met you earlier today, I thought that you would be a hard man to know. Despite the fact that you've only been here for several hours now, I'm coming to believe more and more that I'm right."

With those words, she turned around to head back up the stairs. Risek watched her go, then he turned a stern face back at the door, pushing it open in order to head to the chambers he'd been assigned to.

Zelda, meanwhile, made it back to the corridor she'd followed Risek from and headed down the hallway, ready to see her father to find out if he might have known what was wrong to make Risek seem so disagreeable. The doors of the Throne Room opened before she could reach them however, and Hadinaru stepped out, leaving for his dinner meeting with the Ambassador and the diplomats. Before he could get too far however, she called out to him.

"Father, wait, I need a word with you."

Stopping and turning around, Hadinaru smiled to see his daughter, putting a hand on her shoulder when she reached him. "Hello, little one." He let her kiss his cheek, and then asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, but I wanted to know something. Have you spoken to Risek at all?"

Lifting a brow, Hadinaru nodded, "Yes, I did. Why, did he ask you something upsetting?"

"No," she shook her head when her Father asked the question with concern on his face. But the question in itself made her wonder what could have been said between them, and she inquired curiously, "What would he have asked me?"

The King looked her over quietly, considering the best way to put it. "Well," Hadinaru lifted a brow and glanced to the side, "perhaps about marriage. I think one of his reasons for coming here was to see if wedding you was possible, in the effort of uniting our Kingdoms. That's what he just came to ask me about."

Zelda looked highly surprised, and she slowly shook her head. "Did you tell him I'm already engaged?"

"That I did," Hadinaru nodded, "and he didn't seem to take the news badly either. Even mentioned to congratulate you. Why, was he acting oddly?"

Zelda honestly couldn't say that he was since she didn't know him specifically, so she just shook her head, replying, "No, I was just curious because I saw him leaving here and he didn't really say anything at all. We were supposed to meet for a discussion this evening, so I guess I should go see if he's still wanting to."

Nodding his head, Hadinaru kissed her cheek like she had his in greeting, and told her, "Go on. I have my own meeting to attend. I'll see you later, little one."

"Have a good evening, Father." Zelda spoke those words and she watched him go. Once he'd disappeared from sight, she looked down with a deeply sighed out breath.

Apparently, Risek was more disappointed than he'd let on to her father. But he'd also somehow seemed jealous, but it just didn't make sense that he might have been jealous of Link. They hadn't even met yet. Not to mention, he didn't have any romantic interest in Zelda - how could he? Where Risek had yet to meet Link, he'd also only just met Zelda in turn.

Then she remembered his words. _Perhaps I am a Prince, but that stands for absolutely nothing when it comes to what we really want. You should learn this lesson quickly, Princess Zelda, because in the long run, it will save you much grief_, she thought, and it became all too obvious.

For whatever reason, Risek was jealous of her marrying someone she loved rather than being set to marry someone she didn't even know as he had almost been. Likely, he hadn't wanted to ask for her hand to begin with, after all, he seemed to be very strong, and having things done for him, or set up in a manner that he couldn't shape them himself probably angered him.

Zelda frowned, wondering if their meeting later was such a good idea now. After all, Risek didn't particularly seem too sociable, and she wasn't sure if he'd appreciate it or not. Not to mention she didn't completely relish the idea of having it if he was going to act _that_ way. But, she decided, fences had to be mended. It was her royal obligation to make sure this happened, and as Risek had suggested himself, she needed to learn that actually being royal meant nothing when it came to what she wanted.

This was the fine line between duty and personal affairs when it came to royalty. Turning, Zelda began to go on her next errand finally. But she had to stop by a certain Prince's chambers before she did so, if only to let him know that she already understood that lesson all too well.

---

Some of the Chambers reserved for the diplomats were interconnected with one another so that the Althorians didn't have far to go if they needed to find one of their own people. Risek was assigned to chambers that possessed a door which connected to Arrik's room, and when Risek entered through his door from the hallway, the one that connected their chambers was open and the Ambassador saw him. He'd been busy grooming his beard, and catching a glimpse of the Prince from the corner of his silver eyed sight, he called to him.

"Risek, did you enjoy your walk around the Palace?"

Arrik waited for a response, but he didn't get one. The silence drew him to look over, and stepping away from the mirrored dresser where he'd been finishing off buckling a cuff on his sleeve after he'd settled his shears down, he walked over to that door and looked in on the Prince. Knowing something was bothering Risek, he decided to simply ask, "Did you want to attend the dinner meeting?"

Risek looked over at Arrik and slowly shook his head. "For once, I'll decline."

"Then tell me what's wrong before I go. I know you're troubled."

Shaking his head, Risek turned and faced the Ambassador completely, saying, "I asked about taking the hand of the Princess in marriage. She's already spoken for however, so it won't be a possibility. This simply makes me feel as if a part of my time spent with my father has been wasted away. That is all."

"Oh," Arrik drew out, shaking his head, "I'm so sorry. But that time is not wasted if things still come along as planned, I'm sure you know. Your father will be fine upon our return. I know it seems hard to believe, but trust me, lad. He'll be fine, and delighted to hear of the good job you've performed here with the Hylian people. Have I ever steered you wrong?"

Hearing Arrik's faith did have a positive effect on Risek. Sighing in his breath, the Prince replied, "No, you haven't."

Arrik smiled, patting the young Althorian's arm. "Now then. Tell me, who is she supposed to wed so that I can congratulate them properly when I see them?"

"I'm unsure of his name," Risek told the man, "I simply know he's a Hylian Knight that Hadinaru seems to hold a particular respect for."

Arrik thought that over with a nod of his head, "A Knight you say?"

"Yes, and the wedding is to be in another few months during the late Spring. This was all I was informed of."

"Hmm, well," Arrik considered aloud, "I'll ask Hadinaru for more information then. We'll have to meet this Knight soon and find out what his mettle is, and then see if we can join in on their festivities," he chuckled out. "But don't be too concerned with it, there are many other ways to secure our relations."

Risek knew Arrik was right, giving him a nod of agreement before he then informed him, "It's growing later, Arrik. You should probably go soon before you're tardy."

"Indeed," Arrik chuckled, turning to head back to his chambers. "If you speak with the Princess, it would be best not to mention this. You know how ladies can become so easily upset."

Risek decided not to tell Arrik he'd more than likely already upset the Princess, simply replying, "I won't. Enjoy yourself."

"I intend to," Arrik explained with a little smile, and Risek saw Alarun joining him in order to leave. Walking over, he shut the doors between their chambers, deciding that he should do as Arrik had suggested and clear his head until everything made sense again and he could - as his Father had put it - seek another avenue to gain what he was after. It was when he'd turned around from the door however that he heard a knock coming to the one he'd entered through initially. Looking back, he could only wonder if perhaps Arrik had crossed his door in the hallway outside and forgot to mention something to him before he'd left.

So in walking over, he called, "Arrik, you must have left your head in the fields to be this forgetful."

Opening the door, it wasn't Arrik that Risek saw, but instead the Princess. Zelda lifted a brow and replied, "I'll let him know you think so, my lord."

Risek cleared his throat, his shoulders going a bit more straight with his righted posture, and he asked, "My lady, what can I do for you?"

Zelda smiled up at him quaintly, asking, "I was curious if you would escort me to the class I needed to assist with. I thought that perhaps you'd like to witness for yourself what it is we try to teach our children here, especially since you've taken such a personal interest in curriculum."

Risek lifted a single brow at her, surprised she'd ask him such a thing, especially after the words they'd shared recently. "I'm sure, after our talk in the stairwell, that you don't want me to accompany you."

Zelda didn't waste a moment in responding to that, "As you said, my lord, what I want and what I'm obligated to are two different stories. Do I want to? Not specifically. Since you've arrived, I've seen you go from bland, to likeable, then to downright irritating, that is, if you care for my honest opinion. But, since Hyrule is the Kingdom I serve as its Princess, and yours is Althor, and we need to bind them back together, I think obligation is necessary and far outeighs any personal issues we have between one another. I try to learn as much as I can whenever I find an opportunity to do so, so if I need to learn this lesson better, I would very willingly use this opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, sir."

Remembering the lesson he'd told her she needed to learn, Risek sighed the words, "I didn't mean offense, Princess. I'm–"

"Nor did I," she started, holding up a gloved hand to stop him. "I told you that you were envious, and it's not my place to say so. I'm being very honest now as well, I would really be appreciative if you would join me, whether you can forgive me for my own transgression or not."

"Well," he drew out, "considering how I chided you, I think you were well within reason. But I hold no ill will toward you, my lady."

Zelda felt much better now that she had come down here to discuss this with him and this result was coming along well so far. Shaking her head, she replied, "I think then that we need to let that event go and concentrate on now." She offered him a smile and then waved her hand behind herself as she added, "The class I'm assisting with is learning about the way Kingdoms work. I thought that it would be the perfect opportunity to let them know that Hyrule isn't the only one in the world."

Risek, for a moment, wondered just how clever this Hylian standing before him could be, and he thought it over. She had paid complete attention to every detail she'd come across so far, from the fact that he was involved in the schooling his own Kingdom provided, down to the words he'd spoken to her in the stairwell, and come to a very plausible solution to right any wrongs that had come between them. So far, she'd impressed him a great deal, and he nodded in agreement.

"I would be honored," he said, turning to take the knob of his door and go with her.

"Good, because we're already late, so I can blame you for getting lost," Zelda informed him as she smiled and turned around to head in the direction of class.

With the door latching, Risek lifted a brow at her. Apparently, she had a somewhat playful side in addition to her logic. But as she walked off, he had a thought, and looked down at his left hand. Since she wasn't looking, he went to lift his left glove over the back of it. As he did, the garment revealed that same mark on his hand again.

"Risek?"

Looking up, seeing Zelda standing at the doorway, ready to go up the stairs, he lowered his arms and followed her, pushing the implications of the mark away from his mind for the moment. "Sorry, I got lost on the way out of my door," he informed her seriously, though his words were definitely not as such. Walking past her, Zelda lifted a brow at the sudden show of humor, and she snickered softly, though she tried to hide it.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

Clearing her throat, she shook her head as she went and replied, "Nothing. Simply curious if that was an attempt at humor."

"It was, my lady," he replied just as seriously.

"Well it was terrible," she told him with a grin threatening her lips, heading past him and up the stairs.

He gave her a considerate look before half his lips turned up in the most of a smile she'd seen on his face yet. It wasn't a full on expression, but it was a start, and Zelda felt optimistic, if things would just keep going this way. But she was determined to make sure it did one way or the other. After all, it did no one any good if she was having trouble with the Prince, and she didn't want to cause any of this to fail. Heading to the class with the Althorian Prince, she hoped things would go well.

---

The woods were quiet, only a breeze every now and again picking up the branches and the rustling leaves making any sound. It was quiet, peaceful, and Link sat upon Frost's back just as silently, sword on his back and shield covering it, while Nissa hovered over his shoulder. The shield he wore was the same one he'd always used, but the sword wasn't the Master Sword. Instead, it was the same style of blade, made specifically for him as a Knight, and the colors were different in red and silver, rather than blue and gold.

Frost idly scuffed his front hoof at the ground while Link observed from his back. Patrol was probably one of the most interesting of duties he had altogether. Sometimes he came across bandits, sometimes odd tracks that led to nothing, but he never really got bored, and also found the quiet time to be fairly relaxing.

It was nice to have Nissa along as well. She offered a little distraction in the face of dull moments, so time passed more quickly. He took up his duties in moving from place to place with her, making sure things weren't suspicious - which he knew they wouldn't be since any rates of crime had been very low recently - and then settled for a short while to watch a particular area before he moved on again. Right now, he was patrolling the pass of the Zora River in the fields close to the Royal Tomb near the resting spot of one of the teleportation stones.

In fact, he could see the gated entrance to that Tomb in the distance now. Hosted within that tomb was the Temple of Shadow, but the only way to see the steps leading up into the structure, as well as the temple itself, was to have a magical spell of true sight cast with which to see it. Link already possessed such an ability which he'd gained from the Temple of Water several months ago, and so he knew that if he needed to enter it for whatever reason, it wouldn't be a problem.

Getting his mind off of that Temple though, Link looked ahead again and heard Nissa saying, "You know, it's been really quiet out here."

Link gave a nod of his head and looked around again. "Seems like the place isn't completely in need of a watch."

"I'll say. You should probably just go to your next stop."

"This _is_ the next stop," he replied and looked up at her.

"You're kidding, right? It's over? Already?"

"Like you said, it's quiet," he replied, "nothing's going on. There's no real need to go and backtrack either."

"Hmm," Nissa drew out, a breeze picking up over the area before she saw Link turning on his horse in order to head back. Shrugging, she flew down closer to him and stopped just over his head, her wings making a slight tinkling sound when she suddenly whooshed up into the sky a bit higher and said, "Hey! Do you see that!?"

Link stopped and looked up, asking her, "What?" He peered off into the distance of the trees, and when a few passing clouds cleared overhead, and allowed more sunlight into the area, he saw something glinting. Narrowing his brows, Link could make out a shape when that light showed him where his fairy friend was looking, and he focused his sights on it. He could clearly make out a rider on a white horse as he did so, garbed in white as well, standing there amidst the trees surrounding them.

It wasn't easy to see the person though because of those woods standing between them, and Nissa flew forward just a bit, exclaiming, "Link, it's one of those White Riders they put in the Herald!"

He could see that, and he was surprised over it. They weren't moving though, apparently content to just sit there on horseback,and he could only wonder what they wanted, and what it was he'd seen glinting in the sunlight when he'd spotted them. "Do you think I should ride over and say hello?"

"Well, you _are_ patrolling," Nissa chimed in her response. "I don't think there would be a problem."

Link was just too curious not to anyway. He could only wonder if Zelda had rubbed off on him in that respect, and taking Frost's reigns, he determined to go and find out who this person was, and Frost lifted his front legs in order to move with his rider goading him. Nissa wasn't too far behind them both, traveling through the forests without too much speed as not to make whoever it was think they were being charged for some reason or another.

As they drew in closer, Link could definitely see better, and realized that the light he'd spotted glinting was that of armor reflecting in the sun. Though he couldn't get a clear view from both the distance and the way Frost moved when he galloped, Link _could_ tell that the armor definitely looked as if it were finely crafted by the highest standards from where he was, right down to a helmet that fully covered the rider's face with two rectangles cut near the top for the apparent Knight to see through.

Somehow, just before more could happen, Link got a bad feeling about this as he neared the scene on Frost's back. He was about to draw upon his reigns with the sudden interruption of instinct playing through his head when a loud whirring of energy sounded and a bright light before him flashed, humming loudly in his ears. Frost stopped on his own accord, and putting his arm up in order to keep from being blinded in the face of the luminous blur, Link didn't spot the wave of energy that shot out of the area until it had hit him.

"Link!"

Nissa swooped down toward him as she yelled his name, having helplessly watched the light encompassing the area and the wave of energy which hit her friend and knocked him from the back of his horse and onto the floor of the forest, unconscious. Looking away from Link and toward the area where the armored rider had been, Nissa realized that whoever it was had now vanished, and her wings tinkled with sound somewhat loudly.

"What in the world was that!?," she exclaimed, then moved down to Link and landed on his chest. "Link! Wake up! You look like you're okay, but are you!?"

Link grimaced, taking in a deep breath, making Nissa rise and fall on his chest, and he turned his head to the side. Slowly, his blue eyes opened to spy the area across from them where the rider had once stood, and all that he saw there now was Frost standing quietly, raising his head idly.

"Link?"

Narrowing his brows, Link looked up at Nissa, asking, "What happened?"

"I don't know. They disappeared. I'm guessing that whatever magic was used to allow them to must have hit you and knocked you off of Frost's back."

Pushing himself forward without worry to Nissa falling since she took to the air whenever he moved, Link lifted a hand to his head and groaned. With concern on her voice, Nissa asked, "Did you hit your head?"

"Yeah," he nodded, a tender spot in the back at the moment. "I'm alright though. Just confused."

"Me too. But I can say that whoever it was apparently isn't interested in meeting anyone."

"You can say that again," Link replied as he pushed himself up. "They were wearing armor, like Knights. Did you see that too?"

"Yeah," Nissa drew out, thinking over the situation. "You'd better tell Lyonel about this. I think everyone would like to know not to approach those guys, especially if they're not trying to cause problems."

Sighing, walking over to Frost to take the reigns, Link informed Nissa, "That's the problem right there. If they _are_ trying to cause problems, we can't get close to them and won't know until it's too late, whoever they are. I thought I saw a crest as well, like the coat of arms of a Kingdom, but I couldn't see it clearly."

"Where? I saw one on the Knight's chest."

"That's where I saw it," he replied, mounting his steed. "Let's get out of here before anything else can happen, and tell my Father."

"Right," Nissa agreed, flying to his shoulder. "How's your head?"

"Nothing I can't handle," he replied, giving her a little smile, then he headed on to go back to the Palace and report what he saw. He just hoped his father might know something more about it, but he somehow doubted that would be the case. Still, letting them know sooner rather than later would definitely be a benefit considering it could be difficult to tell what these White Riders were up to due to this turn of events.


	17. Inquiry

_Chapter 16 - Inquiry_

"You don't read those types of things constantly, do you?"

Risek had asked the question, walking down a corridor with Zelda that would take them to one of the studies where Hadinaru did a lot of his work, deciding that was a good place to have their discussion because it was quiet in the room. Zelda carried the Lon Lon Herald with her, which was the paper that Risek had just mentioned, and once she made it to the wooden door and turned the knob, she opened the portal and stepped inside before him with her response.

"I do make it a habit to read at lunch with my handmaidens. Why?"

"Isn't it full of gossip?"

Risek walked over to a chair settled before the desk and Zelda shut the door with a slight shrug of her shoulder. Turning around and heading to the seat across from him, Risek had to consider that Zelda apparently had more grace in her movements and elegance in her mannerisms than Charlain did in her entire body. Granted, Charlain could be quit the charmer and fairly elegant herself, but only with her looks instead of her thoughts and words, and her charms lay more in a coy type of manner that was playful and, in Risek's opinion, not very mature for a women supposedly of her calibur.

Taking her seat, Zelda replied, "I'm sure it is, but it's what the people are thinking of, and it has helped me to figure out good courses of action before. Does Althor have a newspaper like this?"

With a nod, Risek replied, "The Gazette is churned out once or twice a week, and Charlain is always reading it. I never pay it much attention because I don't find the articles worth my time."

Zelda smiled sweetly as she looked at the Herald she held, replying, "Well, it has to have _some_ information in it. Granted they're not all completely wonderful, but some of them can be very informative, I'm sure. One of the Heralds published here not to long ago had a political comic in it where my mother and father are stuck in a deep sleep, and while my father is dreaming about my mother, she's dreaming about getting new dresses and having her hair done."

Risek knew that Zelda's parent had been put into a slumber for several years, and hearing this made him narrow his brows. "Doesn't that anger you?"

"Actually, I think it's a much needed humor. I see it as a means for the people to wind down in the face of stressful situations, and likewise, Father laughed when he saw it and playfully picked on my Mother for a month about it. She said every morning when she woke up he would ask what she dreamt about that night."

Risek had leaned on his arm, his hand just beneath his nose while he silently laughed over the thought, his eyes closing. He could definitely see the humor in that, and Zelda watched him with a grin as he lowered his hand and said, "I suppose they'll feature one in our Gazette sometime soon where my father's simply playing hooky to get himself a vacation."

"Perhaps, as long as it's in good taste," Zelda chuckled out softly, glad to see this lighter side to his personality. She'd been a bit worried during the class that he might not have liked children the ages of ten or so, and been a bit too serious for them. But he'd actually done a good bit of talking in order to get them interested in the topic, and answered several questions they posed to him about the Kingdom he hailed from.

Having seen this side to the Prince, Zelda had to wonder, if things had gone differently and she'd grown up with her parents like she should have and wed Risek, what kind of husband he would have made. She supposed that a woman could definitely do worse with an arranged marriage, and she was beginning to find more and more about the man that she appreciated.

Zelda had to wonder about Link for a moment as well and, despite the fact that Risek had been curious over securing a marriage between himself and Zelda, whether or not they would get along. She hoped they did, after all, it wouldn't do any good if they ended up at odds, though, if Zelda could remember correctly, Link had never outright disliked someone. Well, except for Ganondorf, but everyone disliked him, probably even his own minions.

Still, even Cody, who'd been a pain in their backsides and had stolen their horses, hadn't gained the heroic Hylian's disdain. But time would have to tell, and in an effort to continue their conversation, she lifted the paper she held and said, "But besides that, the articles can give you a good idea how things may shape up in the near future. This one right here for instance," she pointed out.

"What is it?"

"Well, a few weeks ago, there was an article published about people spotting White Riders all over the Kingdom. No one knew who or what they were or wanted, and some claimed to see more than one at once. Now, a new article says that more stories have come up that people have been trying to spot more of them, and then approach them, but whenever they do, they're knocked unconscious for several moments, only to awaken with the rider having vanished from sight."

Riseks' brows narrowed over the story and he looked down at the paper she held, then back at her face. "What does this tell you about the people, exactly?"

"Well, it tells me that they're either content and spinning stories to amuse themselves, or they'll be coming to see my Father soon to ask him to do something about it, depending on how many believe the tales. So we may very well end up discussing this in Court."

"Hmm," Risek drew out, "I hadn't considered things like that. I usually just ignore the gossip floating around, though perhaps your Herald is more accurate than our Gazette. Though, if Charlain were here, she might argue that the only reason I don't like it was because of an article that was based around the question of whether or not I knew how to smile."

Zelda's brows narrowed. She had to admit, that definitely didn't sound very promising, and with a shake of her head, she asked, "Who publishes your Gazette? Or writes it, anyway?"

"I'm starting to think it's Charlain," Risek jested, and he heard Zelda starting to snicker, which caused him to smirk. "Honestly, there's a number of writers, and I think the good ones are all overshadowed. But I don't have the time currently to look into such an inconsequential affair and also dictate the writing that the authors feel they need to express. As my Father would say, we're monarchs, not tyrants, and the people have to have a level of personal freedom, otherwise they'll become slaves to our sole whims. The weight of a slave who is told what to think is nothing compared to the weight of a citizen who can work without being asked to."

"That's a very good point," Zelda replied. "Your father sounds very wise. Instead of barging in on them, when you have more time to handle it, do something to promote better articles if the ones in your Gazette aren't worthwhile. Have some kind of best article, or most informative article prize."

"That, in turn, sounds like a very good point," Risek nodded. "Once things return to normal in my homeland with my family, I'll have to bring that under discussion with them."

Zelda offered him her agreement and a smile and then turned the page of the Herald to see if there was anything else interesting to bring up in the paper that she hadn't seen yet. She hadn't yet done so either, but she had a curiosity to ask him about his request to see if she was available to be taken into a royal marriage playing through her mind while she looked the paper over. She was curious on how he'd felt about asking for her, unable to imagine it had been an easy task for him to undertake. Or had he wanted to?

Somehow though, she felt a bit uncomfortable with the thought of bringing it up, almost nervous over what he might say about it, but at the same time, she also simply wanted to know.

Deciding it was a bit too soon, she just let the thought pass and her curiosities die down, instead looking at the window to see that it was sunset, and the lateness of the day was evidenced by a soft yawn she heard coming from him.

"You know, I should probably let you retire. It is getting late, and you could use your rest."

"It's still daylight out," he pointed out, "not much, but I haven't sleep an entire night in several weeks now. I'm fine. Though, I'd imagine your intended might be coming back?"

Zelda nodded, "Yes, he will be soon now." Then she sighed out the words, "You know, I didn't want to bring it up, but I heard one of your reasons in coming here was to see if I was available for marriage."

Risek didn't deny that, simply replied, "Yes, my father thought that it would be an avenue worth seeking out. I have to admit though," he sighed, "I wasn't sure how forward to it I looked."

Zelda tilted her head in some slight confusion, asking, "If so, then why did you ask?"

"Because I was obligated. It was a duty."

He was right. Weddings between royals was just that, a duty and a political angle to not only unite families and kingdoms, but also in the effort of procreation, which - after being with the man she loved - Zelda couldn't imagine performing that act just for the purpose of offspring alone. There seemed to be far too much emotion tied in with it for her, and she knew she wouldn't ever be able to just, well, do it.

Giving him an understanding nod, she said, "I was hoping that you would meet him and maybe have a friend to converse with while you were here. Link is no where near as politically adept as you seem to be, but he's very smart and I get the feeling you two could be friends."

With the mention of the word friends, Risek considered Marcelle, looking down when he realized that - even in his homeland - he didn't have a good friend anymore. Not one which he felt comfortable in speaking with anything over as he had with Marcelle. "You're right," he nodded, "I could benefit from that."

Zelda couldn't help but stare at him, sensing some sort of sadness in him and she asked, "Did you recently lose someone?"

The question made him glance over, and knowing of the Hylian's gift of telepathy which - like the Althorian's gift for empathy, grew stronger with age - he guessed maybe she'd picked up on that without meaning to. Nodding, he said, "Yes, a man I knew since my childhood named Marcelle. He was killed recently."

"I'm sorry," she replied without seeming completely sympathetic, understanding that men didn't always like seeing such compassion from women even if they meant well, because men typically didn't like to feel as if they were weak or vulnerable.

It also explained a good bit more about his nature and why he seemed to be so aloof. He just had a lot on his mind, and Zelda placed the Herald down before she gave him a warm smile. "Tomorrow, perhaps we can set up a trip through the Market. I think you might enjoy it."

Knowing she didn't want to seem overly compassionate - which he was actually glad for - he nodded at her, standing up just afterwards. "That would be agreeable, my lady. By the way, what did you say his name was?"

"Link," she replied, "we grew up in Kakariko together."

Risek looked a bit curious, hearing that Link was commoner born which, to him of course, seemed very strange. But he didn't ask, feeling it would have been rude to, and instead, simply nodded, "Link, and he's the one who helped you to save your parents?"

Zelda suddenly smiled with a sigh, "Much more than that. But you'll have to meet him first before you can see for yourself. I think though that I need to go find my parents and ask about the dinner. Since Link will be back soon, I'd like to get that taken care of so I can have some time to talk to him before I retire myself."

"Of course," Risek replied, "then we'll see each other tomorrow at Court and we can have our trip to the Market afterwards."

"I look forward to it," Zelda told him with a kind smile and went to the door, stopping when Risek opened it before she could reach it to allow her out. Thanking him for the gentlemanly gesture, she stepped past him and walked down the hallway, leaving him to go where he felt he wanted to.

Risek didn't want to wait until tomorrow to meet this Hylian however, and instead, decided that maybe he could catch him on the way into the Palace. After all, he had a few unanswered questions that he felt a little concerned for.

---

Link took a deep breath as he pushed the doors to the foyer in the Palace open. He still had a headache from being knocked off of Frost earlier. Reaching up, he tugged his hat off of his head and sighed, shoving the garment into his belt, knowing it wasn't polite to wear it indoors, even if everyone thought it seemed to set him apart somehow. He was currently in the red outfit that belonged to the Hylian Knights, the red jerkin and windsock with his white tunic and leggings beneath it slightly dirty from the patrolling that day, and somehow, his chainmail felt much heavier than it usually did.

Even still, he was glad to be heading to his chamber in order to wash up before he went to say hello to his mother like she'd asked for him to do much earlier that day before his lesson with his fiancee as they hadn't talked in a while. Once he was done with that, he wanted to see if Zelda would be available for a dinner with him, though somehow he got the feeling she'd already eaten.

Still, it would be nice to have some company while he ate, comfortable enough with her that, if she wasn't hungry, he could do so and know it wouldn't bother her. With those thoughts in mind, he began to head through the foyer and into the main hall when someone stepped around the corner from the hallway connecting to it, and the sight stopped him.

Risek stopped as well, lifting his head slightly and giving Link a once over. It was apparent that this Hylian was a Knight due to his garb, and Risek could only surmise that besides Lyonel whom was Myriad's husband, the only other Knight who didn't stay in the barracks with the rest was Zelda's intended. So this had to be Link.

Risek looked his somewhat dingy clothing over, though it was no where near as dirty as it could have been considering the tasks a Knight's job entailed, and on the same token, Link looked Risek's over - including spying his pointed ears - and surmised for himself that this must have been the Prince.

Risek was the first to make a comment between them. On a somewhat quiet voice, he said, "You look like you've had a rough day."

Link looked down at his red jerkin, the dirt smears on it, and then he nodded with a sigh, "I feel like it also. I hope everything went better here than outside." Turning his gaze back up to the Prince of Althor, Link decided that now would be a good time to introduce himself, and he gave the Prince a formal bow as was respectful to do.

"I can guess you're the Prince of Althor. I've heard a lot about you, Your Majesty. My name is Link."

Risek nodded his head when Link spoke the line of his name, replying, "Yes, I've heard quite a bit about you as well. Mostly stories that reached my homeland of the heroic feats you've performed for this Kingdom, thought I didn't manage to learn your name until today." With the words, he stepped to the side slightly so he wouldn't rudely block the Hylian's path, and went on, "And you were Knighted for your efforts?"

"Yes," Link replied, "I was. But I'm not really one to talk about all of that."

"Hmm," Risek considered, turning his head slightly in his thought. "Well, I suppose I wouldn't care to continually hear of such things myself. Though, title must feel nice to have."

Link wasn't exactly sure why the Althorian Prince was saying this, and he just shrugged a shoulder, informing him, "It's fine I suppose. But I'm not specifically trying to get rewards."

Risek turned his eyes toward Link, the peridot green seeming to somehow be summing him up, before he nodded in understanding. Link just waited however in order to see what the man would say, and finally he found out.

"You're also engaged to wed the Crowned Princess of Hyrule. So much fortune."

Link now knew he wasn't sure he liked where this was going, but his uncertainty, nor the social status of the man before him now, prevented him from taking a single step forward. After all, he'd already guessed that if someone had something bad to say about his engagement to Zelda, he would become irritated, so his own actions didn't surprise himself now. He simply kept himself calm instead of fiercely defending it like many would have done.

With that effort in mind, he replied to Risek, "If you think I was given her hand in preparation for marriage as some kind of reward for my accomplishments, Your Highness, then sadly I have to say you're mistaken."

"Am I?"

"Yes." Link wasted no time in replying to him, shaking his head, "Zelda and I grew up together, and I knew her long before she ever took the crown."

Slowly, Risek nodded, which wasn't exactly the response that Link had expected. "She told me as much, and I have to admit, that's good to hear," he started, folding his arms over his chest. "I suppose I was curious on how a father could hand over his daughter to anyone after missing her for most of her life, no matter how courageous and heroic a man might be. I wasn't completely certain when Hadinaru told me she was engaged."

Risek had no idea if the engagement had been set up by Hadinaru because of Link's efforts and the King's respect for him, or if they'd done so on their own, so he'd asked Link just now, in a slightly roundabout way just to gauge his reactions. But he could see now that apparently Link and Zelda both had some feeling for each other, which was where the engagement had stemmed from.

This made Risek feel even worse about it.

Link on the other hand was unable to help his confusion over the words mentioned, and he asked Risek in response, "Did you ask Hadinaru about Zelda's marital status?"

Risek sighed, turning and walking toward the archway that lead from the foyer and into the main chamber. Softly, he replied, "I did. One of my reasons in coming here was to see if I could secure a marriage with her for our Kingdoms. I thought to let you know that before anyone else could tell you, otherwise you might have gotten the wrong impression. I'm sorry if I sounded accusing, but I spent a good bit of the day talking to your fiancee, and after learning a few things, I was merely curious over the affairs."

Further surprise. Link had genuinely thought Risek was simply trying to cause trouble, but his words sounded earnest and he watched the Prince turning to look at him once more. "You have a streak of good fortune to be engaged to such an intelligent woman."

"I am," Link agreed, "and fortunate that she chose me."

His words were spoken a bit pointedly, figuring that Risek might have still been under the assumption that Link had been rewarded an engagement to her for his efforts of saving the Kingdom as he had. But that wasn't the case at all.

"I know," Risek replied, seeming to honestly believe him. "I don't intend to be scrutinizing if that's what you're thinking."

"Then what _are_ your intentions?" Link asked the question somewhat defensively, unable to help it after hearing of Risek's interest in his fiancee, regardless of if it had to do with duty or not. "Was wedding Zelda something you looked forward to?"

"To be quite honest," Risek replied, turning around to face Link completely, "I thought it was a good idea as far as duty is concerned, considering our Kingdom's do need a reunification. That shouldn't suggest, however, that I would move in on her if she's properly taken."

"She is," Link reinforced.

"I can tell you love her at least," Risek replied, "from your reactions. I'd simply been curious if you might have been interested in her for the esteem you could have gained, in which case I wasn't content to settle for the fact that I'd come into the picture a little too late. Though, I did know the marriage would be morganatic, you'd have no right to title of assets through her as your spouse being but a Knight, so I wanted to ask as it seemed a little odd to me."

Link was getting even more angry now, unable to help it. He wasn't marrying Zelda for materialistic reasons, much less was he wedding her because her father had offered her up like some kind of prize, and definitely not because of the esteem he could gain in doing so. But before he could get a proper response out of his mouth, he heard his name and looked over, toward the right behind Risek, and saw Zelda standing there in her pink and white gown with her golden circlet encompassing her head.

Risek took a few paces back in order to allow her in more closely when she appeared, and nodding her head at him politely, she walked over to her fiancee, reaching to take his hand. "Have you two properly introduced yourselves?"

"Yes," Risek nodded, then took in a breath before he added, "we were just discussing you actually."

The words evoked a small look between the two men, one that said nothing of what they'd actually been discussing as if to keep it under wraps for the moment. But Zelda knew Link's expressions, and seeing it in his eyes, she knew something was slightly amiss, so she replied, "All good I'm hoping."

"No one could say bad about you," came her fianee's reply. Link then looked back down at her, lifting his arm to motion back to the main hall of the Palace, "I didn't make you wait for something, did I?"

"No," she shook her head, then looked back over at Risek, asking him, "did you get the note from my mother and father?"

Risek's brows narrowed in some slight confusion over the question, and he shook his head. "No, my lady. I did not."

"I see. In that case, they told me there'll be a note waiting in your chamber. They wanted to have breakfast with you. I believe the note says why, but I wasn't privy to that part of the information."

"I see," Risek nodded politely. "Thank you, my lady. I'll go find out what it says for myself then."

"You're welcome, my lord," Zelda returned softly, watching him walking along, and once he'd gone up one of the winding staircases in the main hall, Link looked back down at Zelda and watched her slowly turning to look up at him.

The look on her face was a bit dejected, and he narrowed his brows, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Are you okay?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing. I heard your voice, and you didn't sound happy."

Link sighed out his breath, reaching up to rub his head again when the throbbing insisted, and Zelda realized the state of his attire was just a bit dirty. "I'm alright, I just got thrown today and hit my head."

Zelda's look became concerned, and she put her hand on his shoulder, then used the other to brush through his hair, saying, "Let me see."

"It's nothing a little potion can't fix up. I was going to go take some and wash up, then see my mother and find out if you had eaten dinner or not."

Once she'd inspected his head to see there wasn't anything wrong, on the outside anyway, probably just a bruise there, she lowered her hand and replied, "I haven't. Just how were you thrown anyway?"

"It's a long story," he started with a sigh of breath, "I can tell you later if you'd like."

Nodding, Zelda informed him, "Well, we can go to the dining room and have dinner and discuss it all if you want."

"That sounds good," he said, leaning down and kissing her affectionately. Once the kiss broke, he added, "I'll come there once I'm done."

She gave him a little smile and nodded her, head, looking forward to it. But before he could leave completely, she asked his name. "Link, are you sure nothing badly was spoken between you and Risek?"

Link, having stopped on the bottom step, looking back at her and pursed his lips up in a little lopsided smile. "I'll tell you that later too."

Sighing, Zelda shook her head and watched him go. Once he was out of earshot, she muttered to herself, "Men," and then went to head to the dining room.


	18. Uncertainty

_Chapter 17 - Uncertainty_

Link found his mother asleep at her desk, and he placed a hand on her back to gently wake her. Realizing she'd fallen asleep while writing out a letter, he helped her to get up and took her to her room where she could get some proper rest before he told her he would come to see her for breakfast. Myriad smiled and told Link she loved him before she let him go to have dinner with Zelda, finding the Princess waiting for him just a few moments later.

Zelda looked up when he came into the room, having changed his clothing into more casual attire in the form of a green tunic and dark pants, his hair tied back at the nape of his neck. She smiled when she saw him and waited for him to have a seat.

As he reached the table and pulled his chair out, she asked, "Does your head feel any better?"

"Much," he replied with a nod, leaning in to kiss her cheek before sitting down and looking at his plate. As soon as the scent hit his nose, his stomach started rumbling with his hunger. He knew, at that point, he would have enjoyed his meal no matter what it had consisted of.

"Well, tell me what happened," she urged him while he took his silver utensils into his hands, "why did you fall off of Frost?"

Sighing out a breath, Link started preparing to eat as he explained the situation with the White Rider he'd seen and approached earlier, from the first spotting, down to when and how he'd been knocked from his mount. With the story told, he finished with the words, "When I got too close, there was a bright light, and it knocked me off of Frost and onto the ground. When I came to, he was gone, and Nissa said he'd just vanished."

Zelda paid close attention, the looked on her face very thoughtful. She remembered the article she'd read earlier with Risek, and this just confirmed it was completely true down to the last detail almost. "The papers said the same thing. Stories about people trying to spot the riders and how they would black out if they got too close, only to awaken with the rider gone. And you said it looked like a Knight?"

"Yes, from what I could tell before it vanished," Link replied, looking over at her. "But this was in the paper from other people's accounts?"

"The one that was printed and sent out today, yes," she explained. "Now we know it's the truth, especially if you and Nissa both saw it." Shaking her head, Zelda glanced at her own plate before she picked her fork up and then added, "This worries me a little bit."

"Me too, honestly," Link agreed. "I reported it to my Father, and Lyonel's decided to put us on alert. I have the privilege of taking the mornings for your lessons though, so I don't have to patrol until late day. But every other Knight is going to be sent out to keep a watch, and Lyonel went to inform Hadinaru after I came here. After all, even if these Knight's intentions aren't clear or by fact malevolent, someone could still get badly hurt being thrown like that."

"Yes," Zelda nodded, looking over at Link with concern on her face. "What do you think personally?"

"About their intentions?"

She nodded slowly, and in seeing the expression, Link had to tell her the truth. "I can't say honestly, but when I approached that rider today, I had the strangest sense that I should have drawn my sword. Not that I want to worry you, but something just didn't feel right about it."

Zelda knew that wasn't good. Link's intuition with such things usually wasn't wrong, and she could only imagine, if his instincts told him that, and he'd successfully met with the figure, a fight could have ensued. Of course, arguing the point with simply a person's intuition as proof wouldn't be enough to tell everyone that what these White Riders wanted was more than likely not benevolent. But with all that Zelda had been through with Link, she knew for certain on her own personal level that the Rider's couldn't have meant any good for the Kingdom, whoever they were.

Link noticed her expression had grown grim, and she'd stopped her fork in midair with her thought, so he reached over and took her hand. When he did, she snapped out of her daze and glanced at him, then sighed with the words, "I'm sorry. I just don't get the feeling this is going to go well."

Shaking his head, Link responded, "Hey, we've been through worse. We'll handle it."

The words made her smile, and with a nod, she finally ate the bite on her fork she'd held in midair for so long now. "You're right," she replied with a nod after she'd chewed, "let's speak of something else."

Link felt perfectly fine with that, and there was, in fact, something else he wanted to talk to her about. Looking over, he asked, "Tell me something, how does Risek strike you exactly?"

Zelda lifted a brow from above the rim of her goblet as she sipped her drink, and then lowered it once she was done. "Risek?" She asked curiously. "He strikes me as a competent Prince and very loyal to his father, if not a little overburdened currently. Why?"

Zelda was, in fact, curious of what the two had been discussing earlier, and with his mention of the Althorian Prince now, she hoped maybe he'd enlighten her a little more. Shaking his head, Link informed her, "I don't like him."

Link wasn't someone to just say that, so in hearing it, Zelda couldn't help a little surprise. Tilting her head and giving him a curious look, she asked, "Why not, Link? I heard you sounding a bit angry when you two spoke earlier though, so what were you talking about?"

She could only hope it wasn't the request Risek had put toward her Father, but surely enough, Link replied, "He asked about your availability. I don't like him," he insisted.

"Give him a chance, Link, you only just met him. I didn't like him at first either."

"Now you do?"

Zelda gave her fiancee a raised brow in surprise, asking, "Are you jealous?"

"No," Link insisted, "just curious what you two did all day."

This was unbelievable. But she knew that it was out of his character to be acting this way, that was, unless Risek said something specifically, so she asked him, "Tell me what he said to you first, and that way I can probably explain it better."

Grumbling, chewing his food up, Link washed it down with his drink before he replied, "Apparently he was wondering if you'd been handed over to me as if you were just chattel. Then he said he was curious over if I was marrying you just to gain title and prestige."

Zelda looked surprised. Granted, Risek hadn't seemed happy about it, and he didn't know all of the facts over their engagement, but she couldn't be exactly sure why he would ask Link something like that. Maybe he was simply making sure that seeking a chance for marriage was a complete impossibility. Though, he had admitted that he'd only asked about her availability to begin with out of duty and even said he wasn't sure how much he looked forward to it. So something was still a little off on his end, as if perhaps he wasn't being completely truthful over something.

"Well, he did seem disappointed at first," Zelda informed Link, "but he also acted as if he accepted it." Looking over at him, she shook her head, "I couldn't say precisely why he would've concerned himself with asking you those things."

Link didn't feel any better about it. "Well, then what did you talk about all day long?"

Zelda settled her goblet back onto the table before she started recounting the events. Once she was done, she finished with the words, "I left the study with an invite for us to go to the Market tomorrow to get to know one another."

Link narrowed a brow, unsure he liked the thought of that. But he had to remind himself that Zelda had a royal duty to see to it that things went smoothly, so he supposed that it was justified. Still, some side of him didn't like it at all, and he could only consider it was a possessive side that wanted Zelda all to himself.

"You don't look too happy," Zelda said as she watched his face and the expression on it.

"He asked if you were available," Link replied, "I don't think any man would be."

In some strange way, Zelda found how he insisted on reminding her of what Risek had asked to be completely cute, his disgruntled expression over it making her fight to hide a little smile. "Well, it was the best way I could think to actually keep things going smoothly. Just come with us. Maybe your opinion will change if you do. After all, you did only just meet him."

Link knew that, and he knew his claimed dislike for the man was probably premature, also understanding they could go to the Market tomorrow and realize they'd both found new best friends. But he was distracted by the smile Zelda was trying to hide, and he gave her a knowing look. "You like the attention, don't you?"

Zelda's fight to hide the smile only got worse, and she had to cover her mouth, turning a set of pouty violet blue eyes up to him. When Link saw the look, he grumbled and shook his head. "I'm definitely not going to disagree to go tomorrow. I know you're right, and we could actually get along if we knew one another a little better, but right now, I don't like him, and I'm not changing my mind over it."

"That's fine," Zelda said, still hiding her smile with her hand. "Just as long as you at least try."

With those words, she leaned over and kissed his cheek affectionately. Link knew she was trying to butter him up, and he rolled his eyes playfully, then said, "I'll try anything if it's important to you and keeps you happy."

"I know," she grinned.

"And you're using it against me," he added, which caused her to snicker softly, and in turn, he grinned. "I hope Father doesn't mind if I accompany you with the patrol scheduled."

Zelda pursed her lips, then thought aloud, "I can specially request you. After all, I'm sure Lyonel realizes that, being my fiancee, it would be important for you to also get along with the Althorians."

Link smiled over at her and reached up to put an arm around her shoulders so he could lean in and kiss her properly. After all, he was feeling a little more possessive at that time, so any chance he got to remind her of his feelings for her, he wanted to take advantage of. He just hoped she was right, and that he ended up getting along with Risek after all. With this oddity surrounding the Kingdom in the form of those riders, he really didn't want any distractions from it.

---

Morning light began to shine across Myriad's face as she dozed in her bed soundly. But the light started waking her, and as she opened her eyes, looking over at the window and the cloudless morning that had fallen upon them, she heard the door opening to the bedroom and Lyonel's voice speaking her name.

"Myriad? It's time to wake up, love."

"I'm awake," she said softly in response. "I seem to have slept a good long while. I missed your return last night, and Link's."

As she spoke, she slowly pushed herself up from the bed, her long blonde hair hanging down freely over her white nightgown, and Lyonel sat down beside of her, fully dressed and ready to get his day started.

"I know," he told her, "but I had something to do at the last minute. Besides, you've been working hard recently, you deserve the sleep."

She gave him a smile and a nod, allowing him to kiss her cheek before she asked, "What kept you out?"

Lyonel sat back and sighed a little breath through his nose, replying, "Link came to me with a report from his patrol. He'd apparently been knocked off of Frost's back after trying to ride to meet one of those White Rider's that's been in the Herald recently."

Myriad looked concerned, somewhat surprised that Link spotted one on his watch, and she took in her husband's face quietly. "You look worried. Has this become a negative issue?"

"It could be, if they're not allowing anyone in, and now that we know they're actually there, then we can't know what they want or who they are. Maybe they're not after anything malicious, but we'll never know if we can't get close to them."

Myriad remembered what she'd seen the day of Zelda's birthday party, and she was about to ask Lyonel something when a knock came to the door. Looking up, Lyonel asked who it was, and Myriad stood up, going to grab her robe and put it on so she'd be a bit more decent incase it was the servants or someone needing to speak with them.

As she did this, they heard Link's voice from the other side saying, "Room service," and she chuckled softly over it.

"We don't have rupees for a tip," she called back playfully, walking to the door.

Opening it, she saw Link standing there wearing his blue jerkin and white tunic, and he smiled saying, "Then I guess this food will have to be taken back to the kitchens."

He had several frosted tarts and some steaming coffee on a tray he carried, and Myriad put her hands on her hips. "You'll do no such thing, young man. Give me that tray."

"Don't come between your mother and a frosted tart," Lyonel muttered out in warning as he walked past, and Link grinned response.

"I know," he replied while he stepped into the room and went toward the table to settle the tray down, "that's why I brought them."

Taking one of the tarts before she sat down at the table he'd set the tray upon, Myriad patted his shoulder and smiled at him before she grabbed one of the mugs to sip from after she took a bite of the sweet confection. Lyonel walked by in order to tell her to have a good morning and he looked at Link and asked, "You're going to be on time to Court, right?"

"Nah, I thought I'd be about fifteen minutes late so I could make a scene whenever I entered and get some attention."

Lyonel grinned, patting his son's arm as he walked on, "I'll see you later then. Whether or not I'll need to court-martial you however is a different story."

Link chuckled over the words, sitting down at the table with his mother, and he told his Father to have a good day. Once the door shut, Myriad got his attention by saying, "So, I hear you had a run in with a White Rider yesterday."

"Yeah," Link drew out somewhat blandly, "did you read the Herald yet?"

"Yes, about the people blacking out whenever they got too close," she nodded. Then, glancing at him curiously, she requested, "When you spotted them, tell me what you saw."

Link turned his eyes toward his mother, then thought it over, saying once he had a good idea of how to describe it, "Finely crafted white armor from what I could tell, a helmet that hid their faces, and a crest of some type on their chest."

"What about when you first noticed them?"

"Oh, well Nissa saw them before I did. Their armor was glinting in the sunlight."

Myriad got a thoughtful expression on her face, staring at the tabletop in consideration as if a tiny unseen carnival might have been entertaining her from there. Glinting in the sunlight, she thought, knowing it must have been the armor, and she knew she'd been right. The day of Zelda's party, she'd seen one herself. That one had been much closer to the Palace however, instead of out in the fields. But what she didn't know, which she wanted to answer, was why were they being spotted in so many places?

Not to mention a Crest meant that they had to have a homeland, somewhere they hailed from.

Link watched Myriad as she thought about all of this, asking, "What is it?"

"Armor and a crest," she spoke, "that sounds as if they belong to someone. I can only guess though that you didn't get a good look at that crest."

"I didn't," he shook his head, "but I wish I had."

"As do I," she agreed, "but, we'll just have to see if we can find out I suppose. Knights in white armor," she considered aloud. "Well, there is one thing we _do_ know about this. They're not showing up without a reason to. Whether we're in the dark about their motivations or not, we won't be surprised by them."

"That's true," Link drew out, breathing in a deep breath.

When he did, Myriad glanced across the table at him, looking his expression over. He seemed somewhat concerned, and she tilted her head to the side and asked, "Rupee for your thoughts?"

He drew out his breath, staring at the table top. Every time he'd considered the figures being spotted throughout the Kingdom, especially since yesterday, Link had gotten a bad feeling, one he'd been blissfully without for nearing on four months now. Shaking his head, he told his Mother, "I just don't know what to think about it. I know I shouldn't worry, but something in me isn't content to just sit down and wait for anything to happen."

"Yes," Myriad said in understanding, "because of the instinct you possess. Link, you're role didn't die with Ganondorf. You will continue on being what you were born as for the rest of your days. So I hope those feelings and the urge to go and find out what it is threatening your homeland don't bother you at all."

"No," he shook his head, looking over at her. "I'm not bothered. I was just hoping that things will die down before I really have to get involved."

Myriad, giving Link a motherly smile, replied, "You're right, but if they don't, you can rest assured that it probably won't be as hard to overcome this time."

He'd considered that, and nodded over the consolation of not getting what he really wanted also not likely being as difficult a burden. Then he watched his mother slipping one of the frosted tarts over to him and he looked at her face, seeing her smiling.

"Come now, have a bite or two. I know you didn't bring these just to watch your mother devour them all."

Link smiled finally, reaching out to take the confection he'd found that, like his mother, he had a particularly fond taste for. Sharing the breakfast with her like he'd promised to do the night before, they continued to discuss a few things until he would leave for a short lesson with Zelda that morning because of the Court Session that had been scheduled. As they spoke, Myriad considered her thoughts over the reports of these so called White Knights and decided that, like Zelda might, she would have to do some research in the library over it.

Somehow, the term White Knights rang a bell with the Sage of Light. She knew there were various White Knights throughout the world, not to mention stories of those that didn't exist, but she could only wonder if there might have been a tale she'd heard which she was forgetting for the moment.

_---_

"Lindon! Don't forget to bring some quart bottles back from the Market!"

Juney's voice rang from inside of the house while Lindon was settling himself onto his wagon to be pulled by his horse Lizza, and hearing his wife's voice, he replied, "I know, I wrote it all down, everything you said."

"Good, come back soon and be careful!"

Lindon sighed softly, replying that he would, and he took the reigns of his horse and gently tapped them against her back to get her moving. It was a beautiful morning, cloudless and breezy, offsetting the warmth of the sun nicely on the bright day. Lindon was heading to Hyrule Market for a day's worth of selling items to merchants there, having received word from some people in Lon Lon Ranch that the Royal Court had decided to institute a farmer's guild again, which made him happier than he'd been in a while.

So the day was going to go rather well, especially if the news and the weather were any indication, and Lindon just smiled as he toted the items on his wagon along with Lizza carrying them all. The Palace loomed in the distance beyond the hills and far away trees, not completely shadowed out due to the bright, clear sky, and Lindon looked at it being a part of his destination, wondering what the King and Queen might've been up to that fine morning.

Considering what a life in the Palace might have been like, he continued on, stopping when Lizza needed a break or some water, and also whenever he himself needed one, climbing back onto his wagon a few minutes later, considering that he was making some pretty good time. At this rate, he'd be there by lunch if not a little before, and he could eat at his favorite spot in the Market before he got down to business.

As he drew closer to the trees, he adjusted the hat on his head, and at first, he missed the sight of glinting light that had just emerged from the trees a good fifty yards before his traveling wagon. Tapping his reigns along Lizza's back again, she suddenly whinnied and tensed up a bit, slowly stopping in her tracks, and Lindon narrowed his brows, then peered ahead of them at the road, asking, "What's gotcha spooked, girl?"

As his eyes focused, he saw the white horse carrying the rider toward him now. Unable to be sure of what he was seeing at first, he lowered the rim of his hat so more of the sun was shaded out of his eyes, and surely enough, he could see the horse heading toward him, the color of white encompassing both the animal and the rider.

Lindon slowly released the rim of his hat as he stared. He wasn't sure what to make of this. It was one of those same rider's like he'd seen before, but this one, well, it was heading toward him. With the new stories floating about, he half expected to black out at any moment, but that moment never came. Instead, he found himself watching this rider, this well armored White Knight, heading toward him with slowing paces in his animal's steps the closer he got.

Lindon found himself awed. The armor was not only finely crafted, but highly decorated as well. Whoever the man wearing it was, he had to indeed be strong, as it looked like it could have been very heavy. But one thing was for certain, he wasn't small, and nor was his horse, which also wasn't a typical steed - two horns jutting out of the beast's forehead and in turn, it had the same types of horns jutting up from the bends of its knees.

The greaves and breastplate were decorated with patterns etched into the metal, and spines stood up off of the pauldrons like sharp razors webbed together with metal, giving the ensemble an intimidating look. The helmet the Knight wore covered his entire face, two slits in the metal to allow for sight, and the head gear sported its own decoration with the an arch that started at the top of the head and worked around it toward the back of the neck like a spiked fin of some type.

There was a crest etched into the breastplate as well, one which carried the only color the White Knight had to offer in his entire ensemble, except for the black hilt of a massive cutlass attached to his hip. That crest was of a white dragon with a blue sword crossing over the body, and half of the crest was vertically colored in blue with the other half being silver.

The Knight came to a stop on his horse before the farmer who stared at him now in a good bit of awe as well as intimidation, and silently stared over at him.

Lindon was unable to help himself from staring as the Knight came to a complete stop about ten feet in front of his own animal, Lizza seeming a bit tense, but Lindon had to ignore her for the moment. Finally, once he had a bit more thought in his head, he called out, "Greetings," a bit reluctantly.

The Knight was silent, settled there on his horse unmoving, and trying to think of something to say, Lindon finally added in question, "I take it you're not from Hyrule's Traveling Minstrel Group?"

Finally, a little show of understanding when the Knight's head very slowly moved back and forth, suggesting the word no. In response, Lindon nodded, saying, "I see. I'm Lindon, a simple farmer from Roshala Village. Might I be able to help you in some way, good sir?"

The Knight was once again unmoving, making Lindon wonder what in the world he could do to get a decent answer out of him, when suddenly, the Knight began to nod just as slowly as he'd shaken his head before. Lindon attempted to make a smile in the face of the intimidating figure, and asked, "I see, then what is it I can do for you?"

As Lindon watched, the Knight began to lift his clawed gauntlet and stretch his arm out slowly. Lindon stared, his eyes going a little wide when he saw an orb of white energy forming against the Knight's palm, but before he could ask the figure anything at all or make any sort of reaction, that orb suddenly shot away from the appendage and in his direction.

The magical sphere slammed into Lindon, knocking him backwards against his seat and startling Lizza into rearing up. While she whinnied loudly, Lindon slowly rolled off of the side of his seat and fell onto the ground unconscious.

Another cool breeze blew over the area while the farmer lay there, and slowly, his eyes opened, his hat laying near to his hand, and he looked up. Groaning softly, feeling a good bit of stiffness in his back from the fall, he pushed himself up and looked ahead again. His brows narrowed while he reached for his hat, seeing no trace of the White Knight he'd spotted before, wondering where the rider could have gotten off to so quickly.

He settled his hat back onto his whitening head of hair while he looked, and then checked himself to make sure everything was alright. As far as he could tell, he was fine, but the situation had been so strange. What had the Knight done to him? Sighing out his breath, he worked his way over to Lizza and took her reigns, rubbing her nose while he checked her for any problems as well.

"You alright, girl?" Spying no anomalies along her body or anywhere else with his wagon for that matter as he looked, Lindon sighed in his breath and then shook his head. "I wonder if I should tell anyone about this. I mean surely everyone believes the tales about the riders now, but _this_?" He looked at his horse and raised a brow. "You're my only witness, girl."

Lizza snorted and Lindon made a little smile over the sound. "Yeah, I guess I'll tell Juney when I get back and see what she thinks." He headed to his wagon and climbed on top of it again. Taking the reigns, Lindon added, "I just hope I don't run into anymore of them. I think I've had enough sightings for my lifetime."

Having no choice in pushing forward with his work since he wouldn't have the rupees to provide for himself and his wife if he didn't go, Lindon started up again in his travels, feeling fine and figuring that if he started to feel differently, he could take it easy for a while.

After all, Hyrule was only another hour or a little less away.


	19. Unlikely Scene

_Chapter 18 - Unlikely Scene_

The Market was bustling. Everyone was smiling, the warm weather and bright skies one of the reasons for their good moods. Link stepped toward the gates with Zelda next to him, his arm laced through hers. They'd just gotten out of the Court Hall about half an hour beforehand, and were currently awaiting Prince Risek to join them, as they'd made plans for the evening before to give him a sort of tour of the area.

Court had gone very well. The diplomacy between Hyrule and Althor was being handled spotlessly, and Zelda and Link both felt very optimistic that one of their goals would be met soon. Of course, Arrik had to return to Althor and report everything to the King first, but that definitely wasn't the part to be worried about. Everything that went on before then was.

Link looked down at Zelda while he thought about it to see her smiling as she looked at the Market, the vines wrapped around some of the sign posts in bloom, and the Tudor style buildings with their opening doors from the people entering and leaving them and flower boxes in the windows looking specifically alive that afternoon. But he just stared at her for that moment.

"What's got you smiling?" He asked the question to pass the time, watching her turn to look up at him.

"Oh, just how well everything is going. And it's a very nice day to boot," she added, looking up at the sky and covering her forehead with her hand to shadow the sun out. "Warm with a cool breeze. Just right for the start of Spring."

Link couldn't help but smile as he watched her, and he slipped his arm further around her back while he stood there with her waiting for Risek to join them. "You're right. It'd be a good day to fish too. I wonder if Risek likes doing that."

"Hmm, that's a good question, well," Zelda looked up at him, "his Kingdom _is_ a seaside Kingdom."

"Good point," Link chuckled out softly. "He's got to be a good sailor at least."

Zelda nodded, glad that Link was trying to look for things to like about the man rather than dislike him, as he normally did with people anyway. She had to admit, she was a bit concerned, and didn't want anymore stress than she needed. She just hoped that, saying they did continue to dislike one another, Link would realize she had an obligation to get along with the man anyway since she was royalty, and hoped that wouldn't make him unsettled.

"You don't seem so upset anymore," she told him, meaning the way he'd reacted after last night.

"Well, I figured he had a duty to ask, just like you have a duty for certain tasks that you otherwise wouldn't want to do."

Zelda smiled, turning to give him a hug when he said those words, which surprised him a bit. Looking down at her while the people passed them, he asked, "What'd I do?"

"I'm just glad you're so understanding."

Link smiled, letting her stand back up straight, and when their eyes met, he shrugged, "I'm glad you like to thank me like that." The comment made her chuckle softly, and that's when Link looked back out at the Market. "Where is Risek anyway?"

"Not too far away," came the Prince's voice from behind them as he headed toward the guarded gate which led into the Market that they were waiting by. Both of them turned back to see the Prince heading toward them, coming to a stop, about half a head taller than Link was. Once they spotted him, he added, "Weren't thinking I'd decided not to show up, were you?"

"No," Link shook his head.

"Then hoping, perhaps?"

"Maybe," Link replied, and Zelda elbowed him, which made him cringe and purse his lips, "it was a joke."

Zelda gave him a look that said he needed to behave, then glanced over at Risek and smiled in greeting, saying, "I hope they didn't keep you too bored after the Session."

"Not at all," Risek replied, stepping over toward them before he glanced about the area. Taking it all in, considering it looked very inviting, he added, "So this is Hyrule's Market?"

Link and Zelda looked with him and Zelda nodded, "Yes, it's been fixed up quite nicely to welcome the Spring."

Risek agreed with the assessment, albeit silently, and read some of the signs over the shops. After a few more moments of taking it in, Link asked, "So, should we get going?"

"I'm ready if you gentleman are. I thought we could walk about first, and then decide where to go."

"That sounds agreeable," Risek informed her, and she nodded and began to head off with them both. Merchants were calling out sales they had again, some yelling that they were willing to negotiate prices on top rupee goods, and Risek looked over to a lady specifically who was yelling about a sale on Killjoy's that she had, and she was waving a sign. Remembering the fish from the day before, he saw one of the marine animals on display on her table, and he could only wonder if it was related to some of the sharp teethed fish from the ocean where he'd fished with his father and brother several times before now because it looked similar to some of their own catches.

The next shop to the woman's stand was a butchery, placed conveniently together, Zelda had always considered, because she would have hated to see a dress shop next to a fish stand. That shop wouldn't last very long because most women, especially of high class, wouldn't enjoy passing a fish stand in order to buy herself a pretty new outfit. Amused by the thought, she mentioned it to Link, who snorted in amusement.

Link said it might've been a good shop for women who were married however, because the husband could buy fish for dinner while she was getting her dress, and he could hold her change purse in the process. Deciding to try to get a little backup, he asked Risek what he thought about it.

Risek was silent for a moment in thought, then said that it might have been a good angle to at least get married couples to go out together, though it would have been fairly unconventional. At least he'd half agreed though, Link decided. But before he could give the Prince any benefit from that point, Risek added that he didn't think he would take his wife to a dress shop next to a fish stand as some men might because the dresses could have smelled badly.

Zelda started chuckling over the suggestion, covering her mouth to stifle it a bit while Link lifted a brow. His point having not received any backing whatsoever now, he decided that getting Risek's help on anything wasn't such a good idea. While he had the thought, Zelda, who hadn't paid much attention to the debate at all, began to change the subject.

"They do keep things fairly organized if you look where things are laid out. Here is where all of the foods and produce are sold, and up the road a short ways is where you'll find weapons and items shops," she told Risek as she looked up at him. Being where they were, closer to the produce and butcheries, she asked, "I was curious, what kind of foods do you tend to have in Althor?"

Risek didn't mind the questions, replying, "As you might have guessed, a good bit of sea food. Most of our economy is based off of it."

Zelda, seeing a window of opportunity, smiled and said, "I see. Link likes to fish, but, you've never gone to the sea, have you Link?"

"No, actually," Link shook his head, glancing up at Risek before asking, "is there much of a difference?"

Risek nodded in reply, and his flat expression made it hard for Link to tell if he cared to be asked or not. But he did make an effort of response as he looked at a cart selling a good bit of colorful vegetables. "Yes, a vast difference, I think because most sea fish can grow so much bigger than freshwater fish."

Why was it that everything somehow seemed to be a one up when it came to this guy? Link tried not to show any kind of irritation on his face, which wasn't hard because what he did feel was mild at best, and he started in reply, "I don't know, Zelda and I have seen some huge freshwater fish."

Zelda smiled at the thought of the Zora Guardian, and when Risek looked over while they stopped near a stand, she said, "The walk on the floor of Lake Hylia was very enchanting, if not a bit intimidating," and she cleared her throat.

The words confused Risek, and Link added, "The sail over it though was much better." Looking at Risek, he informed him, "We had to wear amulets to allow us to breath and walk on the bottom of the lake to reach the entrance to a Temple that needed to be investigated. But first we had to sail over the lake to reach a place in Hyrule called Zora's Domain so that we could get the amulets. There was a huge Guardian protecting the waters though, so it made the trip a fairly interesting one."

"I especially liked the part where you were knocked unconscious and fell into the freezing cold water," Zelda mentioned.

Link sighed, "I liked it better when you lost your amulet and I had to get you back to the surface."

The two Hylians snickered softly at one another while the Althorian glanced back and forth between them before he lifted a brow. Risek wasn't sure what to think, but he did find the tale interesting. "You'll have to tell me more sometime. I can imagine you both have many stories worth sharing."

"Well, they'd definitely be entertaining anyway," Link replied, looking over at a stand where they sold wind chimes, as he remembered something. "Zelda, didn't Mother say she was looking for something to hang over the entrance to the balcony in her chambers?"

Zelda, glancing up to see the wind chimes, smiled and nodded her head. "Yes, I think you're right. We should get her one."

"I think I will."

Risek had recently learned earlier in the day that Link's mother was Myriad, but it didn't surprise him due to the similarities in their looks. But that wasn't the most prominent thought in his mind at that moment. Instead, he was considering Link and his mannerisms, and somehow, he was reminded a good bit of Marcelle. So far, the only difference he could see was that, due to their friendship, Marcelle would have probably already found a way to make Risek roll his eyes or sigh in irritation, while Link was still getting to know the Prince and in the process, was trying to be as polite as possible.

Risek wished Link wasn't so similar, it didn't make things any easier for Risek to attempt to get along with the fellow, just because it did in fact make him a good bit jealous. Certainly Link had his good qualities, Risek couldn't argue with that - after all, he appeared to treat Zelda very well so far - but somehow, it just made Risek feel an irritation he couldn't quite put his finger on the source of. Did Risek think that Link had been handed everything he had no on a silver platter? No, it definitely didn't seem that way, but to be as recognized as he was, and allowed as many freedoms as he apparently had, was somehow simply unnerving in Risek's opinion.

Maybe it was simply Marcelle's death, or rather, unjustified death. Risek tried to remind himself that Link didn't have a hand in it at all, and couldn't help the way he was, but at the same time, Risek's wounds from the loss of his friend were still fresh, and he couldn't help but be a little annoyed over it.

As they stepped over and started looking through the collection of dangling wind chimes for just the right one, oblivious for the moment to the Prince's considerations while he went with them, Zelda glanced to the side and saw a dart game set up to be played across the way, and she smiled. "Link, look. Pepper has the dart game out."

Link looked away from the wind chimes for a moment to see one of his favorite games currently set up, and he smiled over it, "We'll have to play a round or two of that."

The game consisted of a crossbow and aiming at moving balloons across a board that the merchant would turn the gears of once the game had started, and the more balloons you hit in ten seconds, the bigger your prize was. The balloons moved relatively fast, though the merchant turned it a slight bit more slowly if it was a young child playing the game to give them a more fair chance of winning.

Nodding her head, Zelda asked Risek, "Would you like to try a round too?"

Risek, who honestly didn't seem like the type to play many games, glanced down at Zelda and replied, "I wouldn't mind giving it a shot."

"Are you any good with a crossbow?" Link asked. "I prefer bows and arrows myself."

"I've been known to use one from time to time," Risek replied, and Zelda pointed out a wind chime when he mentioned that. Link looked up in the direction of her pointed finger when she did. In seeing it, a blue and white wind chime with silver prods and a glass fairy hanging down the center from a painted glass base, Link agreed that it was definitely a good one, knowing Myriad would like the colors of it.

The merchant pulled the item down for them and boxed it up, turning around to hand it over at Link's request for it. Paying the man, Link thanked the merchant and then turned to head over to the game they'd been looking at only a few moments before. As they approached it, he called to the Merchant that ran the shop, whose name was Pepper, and the older man looked up with a smile on his bearded face, sitting next to the gears of the machine itself.

"Link! Good to see ya again, boy. Did you decide to try to win your lady another flower?"

"Something like that, and I've got you a new patron."

Risek listened carefully, watching as the old man walked toward the front of the stand. Reaching down, he pulled up two crossbows instead of one with the information and set them onto the counter. "Alright then, oh," he began as Link pulled his rupees from his pouch. Pepper had looked up at Risek and said, "It looks like you've brought someone with skill."

"We'll see what he can do," Link told the man as he handed over his money.

Taking the rupees, Pepper nodded with a soft chuckle, "I'll get to turning the gears in that case."

Nodding, Link picked up the crossbows and handed one to Risek, asking him, "Should I go first?"

Risek considered that as he gripped the handle of the weapon, looking the crossbow over to see that it was a modified version of a real weapon which surprised him slightly. As he got a feel for the weight of it, he considered Link's words, and then he glanced at Zelda and said, "Let the lady decide."

"Fair enough," Link responded and glanced to his fiancee. "Who do you want to see go first?"

Zelda smiled, looking back and forth between them considerately. As she did, she pointed at Risek and said, "I'd like to see what you're capable of first."

Link had gotten the feeling she might have said that, and he stepped back and toward her to clear the way for him. "As you wish," Risek responded, turning to head in closer to the stand, stepping behind the designated line. Link watched as Pepper took hold of the gears and Risek took his place.

"How do you think he'll do?," Link asked Zelda.

She shrugged, "He might get them all, I mean he doesn't seem to be a slouch."

Link snorted, and heard Pepper calling to Risek, "Alright, when I blow the whistle, you've got ten seconds."

Risek didn't respond verbally, just waited for him to start turning the gears, and when he did, the blown up balloons started moving across the top of the device at a fairly swift pace. The whistle sounded, and Risek took aim. Not only did he take aim though, he spun the crossbow around in his hand as if it were simply second nature and he didn't pay any attention to it. Link lifted a brow at the sight.

They both watched to see how well he might do, and the Prince turned his arm slightly to the side as three seconds passed, then started pulling the trigger. One dart after another began to fly toward the balloons, and the sounds of their popping could be heard. He continued to pull the trigger as well, turning his arm in the opposite direction that the balloons were moving in, hitting them in succession one by one.

The last dart hit the board near Pepper after marking it's target, and the old man stared and looked across the platform at the line of slaughtered balloons in the dart's paths. "I think he got 'em all."

Zelda's brows lifted, and some people who'd been watching smiled and clapped for him. As they did this, and Pepper collected the darts, he said, "Link, you're the only other person who's ever gotten 'em all!"

"I know, Pepper. Finally got some competition around here."

Somehow, Link didn't specifically like the implication of those words, but decided that he should probably just ignore it considering he hadn't meant Zelda at all, or his own ego even. Link did have to admit however that Risek looked as if he might've used a crossbow more than he'd admitted to considering all of the telling signs. Stepping over to the line while Risek set the crossbow down and backed up, Link looked over at him and asked that very question.

"Use one from time to time, huh?"

Risek slightly smirked and then amended, "Or religiously," before he turned to step back toward where Zelda was standing.

Looking up at him as he came to a stop, Zelda said, "That was impressive."

"Thank you, my lady. It's good to be complimented."

Link sighed in his breath hearing this, and decided he was too confident in himself to let Risek get to him, taking aim with the crossbow as the whistle blew and he started playing his round. Link tended to hold his crossbow to the side whenever he aimed, because it mirrored a bow more closely and allowed him a little more comfort with the device, a method which Risek hadn't seen anyone use before aside from himself from time to time, but soon found was apparently effective for those more adept at actual archery as Link professed to be. One by one, his own darts went off, until, as usually happened, all of the balloons went out just before the time limit.

Zelda clapped for him with a little smile, someone in the back of the small crowd behind them yelling, "Way to go, Link!"

The comment from the person made Link chuckle and give a thumbs up back to them, drawing a laugh out of a few people who knew him, and in seeing this, Risek could tell that the Hylian was also popular amongst the Hylians - yet another similarity to Marcelle that he had. Marcelle wasn't specifically showy, but he did like to make jokes and do little things such as Link had to make people laugh, possessing a certain charm that not everyone was fortunate enough to.

Link turned to set his crossbow down at the stand, and Pepper came over and asked them what their prizes were, pulling out a bin of different items as well as motioning to a few hanging from the roof of the stand. The one thing Link appreciated about Pepper's stand the most was that he didn't have prizes which were poorly made, or a lot of little nicknacks you could care less about. Instead, Pepper had some pretty decent things to pass on to his winners, and Link looked the items over, seeing a bottled fairy.

Pointing at it, he asked, "Hey, how did you get that?"

"I caught her," Pepper grinned. "I probably should've showed her to you to start off. But I figured you'd win something good anyway, and by my calculations, you've racked up enough points for just about anything here anyway. So, you want her?"

Link nodded, saying, "Yeah, I'll take her," and he grasped the bottle into his hand with a little smile and turned to hand it to Zelda, adding, "Here you are, my lady. Incase you need a pick me up."

Zelda grinned over the comment, thanking him for the gift, and Risek, unsure what the fuss was about, asked them curiously, "What's so significant about this fairy?"

Fairies weren't common in Althor at all. In fact, until Risek had come to Hyrule, he'd never even seen one with his own two eyes. In knowing this, Zelda explained to him, "They can heal even mortal wounds, or refresh you if you're worn out."

"Hmm," Risek drew out thoughtfully, "they must be hard to come by."

"I could've sold her for a lot of rupees," Pepper piped up. "Guess I like to give everyone a chance to get something that they normally couldn't afford though."

"Thanks, Pepper," Link smiled, and then he looked at Risek, "do you see anything you like?"

Risek was fairly uninterested in claiming a prize, and he glanced at them both and said, "If you'd like to make a claim for something, then by all means. I don't typically have a use for anything."

"Well that's no fun," Pepper started, "you have to have a use for something!"

Link had to agree with that, giving the Prince a look that said so. "If you don't want anything for yourself, then see if there's something someone you know might like that you could take back to them."

Risek supposed he had a point, lifting a brow while he glanced his peridot eyes over the items, and he saw something that did catch his eye. It was a golden compass with a metal ring at the top that could be used to lace a chain through and make a necklace out of, and when Pepper saw him looking at it, he asked, "Would you like that?"

After a moment of consideration, Risek looked up and nodded. "Yes, I'll take that. Thank you."

Pepper picked the item up from his bin and handed it over, saying, "You're welcome! But don't come back too soon, otherwise you and Link will clean me out!"

Link chuckled while Risek put the golden compass - which he'd realized actually was nicely crafted, he'd seen many compasses before, so he could tell a difference between them - into his black pouch. As he did, he thought about who he'd intended it for, thinking how similar it looked to the first one, and Zelda asked him curiously, "Who is that for?"

Risek glanced at her, a little distracted by his own musings when she'd asked the question. Coming back to reality, he replied, "Oh, my younger brother, Gabriel."

The mention of a little brother made Zelda remember that her mother was going to have another child as well, and she smiled over the mention of it, wondering if perhaps she'd be able to get little things for him or her such as this. In an effort to find out more, she asked, "Does he have a collection?"

"Not specifically, no. But he admires things like this, always curious over how and why they work the way they do, so I thought it would be fitting."

Risek had actually lied about that, but he saw no real reason in telling the truth, or the harm in lying over it since it definitely not anything dire. The explanation put a smile on the Princess's face as well, and she looked at the bottle she held as she watched the fairy inside of it flitting about, telling Risek about how that was a very nice gesture.

Risek hadn't been paying attention to her however, nor had Link. Pepper had gotten Link's attention for a moment with a question about the Herald and the strange stories in them lately, attempting to ascertain whether any of them were true or not.

Risek, on the other hand, had looked up behind Zelda to see an older man who'd been walking his horse up the road come to a sudden stop when he glanced over and saw them. Even Zelda became distracted when Link asked her what she thought about the stories in the Herald, and Risek's attention became settled as the old man neared where they were standing and came to a stop, the top of his face hidden by the rim of the hat he wore.

Something gave him a bad feeling about the situation, and Risek lifted a hand to Zelda's arm and tugged her forward slowly, away from the old man as he wasn't sure what could have been going on. The movement caught Link's attention, Pepper getting quiet when Link looked ahead and away from him.

Zelda herself glanced first at Risek when he'd taken her arm, and when she saw his gaze settled behind her, she looked back to see the same sight. Once her eyes hit the form of the older man standing there, she could sense something odd from within him, some type of power she'd never sensed before, but she had no time to consider it for almost as soon as she saw him, in an unlikely scene he suddenly took off in her direction, raising an arm with a sharp pocket knife held in his hand.

Link reacted when the older man moved, rushing toward him as he lifted his arm in a threatening manner. Considering the fact the man was so much older, Link didn't think it would take much to bring him down, but some kind of odd power seemed to fuel him, and as Link grabbed his arm to stop it from coming down against his fiancee, who'd been tugged back further by Risek, it was as if he might've been struggling with someone who had a good deal of strength and was several times bigger.

Risek stayed close to the Princess while a guard moved in and grabbed the old man from behind, tugging him back while he struggled. Link let the guard pull the older man back, watching with surprise, as everyone else did, the trouble the guard was having just containing him, and he eventually dropped the knife and turned around to try to hit the man. At that point, Link intervened and gripped the assailant from behind, quickly spinning him around to land face first on the ground. When he did, the struggling finally stopped with the breath knocked out of the criminal's lungs.

His hat had fallen from his head with the movement as well, and Link recognized the man's face, a man he'd seen in Lon Lon not too long ago now. "Lindon?"

Lindon had lifted his head, and turning it, seeing Link, there was a shocked and completely mortified look in his brown eyes, an expression which he turned that expression over to Zelda before he looked down at the dirt beneath him again. When he said nothing, Link asked him, "You're under arrest. Are you going to struggle anymore?"

"No," Lindon responded, "you...you need to lock me away as soon as possible."

Knowing that's what he had to do regardless, Link didn't feel right about the whole incident. Something was definitely off, but he let the guard bend down and shackle the man's arms before he moved and helped the soldier pull Lindon up to stand. Looking over at Link, the old farmer asked, "Are you going to take me?"

Link had an obligation to Zelda to make sure she was escorted back to the Palace safely and absolutely none to someone being arrested, but somehow he felt he wanted to follow the man, ask him why he'd tried to attack Zelda just then. Before he could reply however, Zelda stepped over and said, "Link, go with him."

Link knew Zelda probably felt that the older man needed to be questioned as well, and as soon as possible. Besides, as was sometimes the case, she might have picked up on something which told her that was the best choice of action which Link hadn't realized yet, and he trusted her judgement. Deciding to listen to her, and even though he knew that apparently Risek had skill enough to protect both himself as well as Zelda, he wasn't letting them go back alone. After all, if anything happened to Risek, that would be just as bad, so Link knew what his options were.

More guards had come toward the scene by that time, and Link got the attention of the first one, telling him, "Go with Princess Zelda and Prince Risek. Get them back to the Palace safely."

"Yes sir," the man responded and moved on to do his duties. Link watched them going and he shared a look with Zelda while the guard started leaving with them, one that told her he would definitely get to the bottom of this. Once she'd turned away to head off, Link gave his attention to Lindon when the man whispered to him.

"I...I don't know what happened. But lock me up, however you need to. Don't let me attack anyone else like that."

Sighing, Link replied, "Come on, we'll talk in the dungeon."


	20. Mysterious Intent

_Chapter 19 - Mysterious Intent_

Link could easily remember what the dungeons were like when he'd first arrived in the Palace under Ganondorf's reign, and they were now a proverbial paradise when compared to that. Though damp and dank, cold and drafty during the winter, and way too hot in the summer, Link knew anyone brought there had good fortune compared to what they could have been brought to.

The bars shut on Lindon, the old man unshackled and put into his cell, and Link handed the keys to the guard with him. Slowly, Lindon turned around, having shed a silent tear or two because of what he'd done. Link knew the man felt remorse, and he also knew that something was amiss from what they'd seen. It just wasn't accurate to think that it took a Knight and a Soldier to get the man standing before him now down onto the ground, but somehow, it had and Link didn't know why.

So in an attempt to find out, he said, "Lindon, tell me what happened."

Lindon sat down on a bench inside of his cell at the end near the bars and when he did, Link turned and knelt down so that he could look up at him instead of tower over him. Lindon sighed out a breath while he seemed to recall everything that had happened so that he could retell it properly, and looked the waiting Knight over, shaking his head as he did so. "I don't know. I was just walking with my horse, getting ready to pick up the bottles Juney asked me to fetch her from the market, when I saw her standing there. It was like I couldn't control myself."

Link narrowed his brows, waiting for the man to continue, but when he didn't, Link asked, "How could you not control yourself?"

"I saw everything that was happening, but it was as if someone else was pulling the strings. I didn't even know what Zelda looked like before, I've never seen her before except in drawings, and those drawings do her little justice I can say quite honestly. But I knew it was her, like a voice in my head just kept telling me, that's the Princess of Hyrule."

A voice in his head? Link had to ask him, "What kind of voice?"

Lindon sighed before he responded, "My voice, or so it sounded like, but twisted somehow, whispered and insistent. It kept saying to," Lindon stopped as he thought. "The words kept repeating 'Kill her, kill the Princess, for the White Knights'."

Link looked fairly surprised, but it didn't stop him from going on with his questioning, "The White Knights?"

Lindon nodded, "That's why I didn't fight you in bringing me here once I felt in control again. If I come across someone else, I might attack them too. I don't know who it wants me to kill, or why it would choose an old man as its instrument. But apparently I took the wrong path here today."

That line brought up an entirely new line of questions in Link's mind, and he took the bar to lean against as he gave Lindon a curious look. "It?"

With a soft sigh, Lindon began to recount the tale of his journey into Hyrule Market. Link listened to every word carefully, and he found himself in a completely serious mood by the time Lindon finished. "He looked so noble, as if he would fight to protect all of the good in the world, but there was some kind of aura about him that just seemed wicked in a way, or maybe not so much wicked as it was just frightening to me. But he lifted his hand, and used some kind of magic, and that magic seemed like it absorbed into me somehow, even though when I woke up I felt completely fine. So I just decided to keep my day going, and if something started happening, I could maybe see a shaman."

Link considered his own run in with one of the Knights, and how he'd never gotten close enough to see anything like Lindon had before the Knight had disappeared in what seemed to be a wave of magic. Unlike Lindon, Link didn't have any sort of magic absorbed into his body, and instead, the entire affair had merely been a game of keep away. Slowly, he turned his head to the side, realizing also when he'd gotten the feeling he had, he'd been completely right. These Knights definitely weren't up to any good.

Glancing back at Lindon, he heard the man saying, "I don't want to hurt anyone. I've never hurt anyone. I'm glad you stopped me. But the fact that I almost did tears me apart."

Link actually felt incredibly sorry for the man now, even if he'd attacked his fiancee. It wasn't Lindon, and Link knew he had to be telling the truth. This old man wouldn't have attacked anyone in plain sight unless there was something else controlling him. Not to mention the strength Link had felt for himself when he'd stopped Lindon from trying to stab Zelda. It all fit together too perfectly to be a lie, but still, Lindon had to stay in the dungeon, until more light could be shed on the situation.

"Lindon, listen," Link started. "Don't worry too much, I believe you. I saw one of those riders yesterday, and I know they're not just around for show. I'll have to leave you here for now, but rest easy. I'll try to make sure your wife is sent a message so she knows you're alright. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Lindon didn't seem to have to think about what he wanted to ask Link, starting, "Give my apologies to her highness?"

Link nodded, standing up straight once again, knowing he would definitely tell Zelda more than that. As he did, he told Lindon, "I'll let you know whenever we find out more. But for now, just sit tight." Link turned, and then he stopped and looked back, "Wait. Lindon, you said you saw a crest on the Knight's chest, didn't you?"

"I did," Lindon nodded. "It was," he thought back, "of a dragon. You know, I got a good look at it, and I used to do a lot of drawing in my youth. I could sketch it out for you, but it might take me until tomorrow to get it done with the way my hands ache sometimes."

"That's better than what we already had," Link informed the old farmer. "Guard." Once he'd called the word, one of the guards looked over, and Link said, "Could you have some paper and pencil given to this man?"

"Yes sir," the soldier replied, and turned to do as he'd been asked. Looking back over at Lindon while the guard walked away, Link considered everything that had been said between them again, and felt somehow much better to know that something was getting done now. Lindon didn't look completely happy, but he also looked as if he was glad to be kept somewhere that he couldn't harm anyone else just incase whatever had possessed him earlier hadn't really worn off quite yet.

Without really thinking about it, before Link could leave, Lindon sighed out, "I miss my hat."

Link remembered seeing the hat in the Market, as well as in Lon Lon Ranch, and he thought to maybe, if he got the time to, bring the item back to the man. Then he turned and started walking away, eager to go talk to Zelda about this. Before he left, he told the guards to make sure Lindon got what he'd asked for, wanting to make sure they got that sketch of the crest he'd seen from him.

---

"That is completely outrageous."

Nissandra had spoken the words, sitting next to her husband in the Throne Room after hearing the story of the old farmer who'd attacked Zelda in the Market. Risek was present because he'd witnessed the events, and so was Myriad. Lyonel was currently out trying to find Link in the dungeons, and as Nissandra made the exclamation, Hadinaru sighed.

"Yes, this does seem preposterous."

Zelda looked over, then at Risek when he offered, "It would be had we not seen it. Link doesn't strike me as a man who would be easy for an older fellow to struggle with, nor do any of your guards. But he did manage a struggle for a short while."

"Risek," Myriad started from across the way after he spoke, "I know Althorians are emphatic. Did you sense any feeling coming from this farmer Link called Lindon at all?"

Risek shook his head, "No, I didn't. It's not easy to sense the emotions of other races, as I know your kind have with your telepathy and reading those thoughts not of your own. Had Arrik been there, he may have had an easier time of it, but I didn't pick up on anything."

Zelda stared down at the floor in thought, one arm folded across her chest and beneath the other while that one hung down by her side, and she added to Riseks' thought, "I sensed something. An odd power within him, which disappeared when Link tackled him. It was slowly ebbing away from him, then simply dispersed altogether."

Myriad took that information into consideration, suggesting, "Then perhaps his actions were not his own."

Those words drew Hadinaru's attention, and the King asked, "Are you saying someone tried to have my daughter potentially killed by using another of my citizens to do so?"

"I am," Myriad replied confidently. "After all, according to them, Lindon ceased struggling when Link knocked him down, just as Zelda said she sensed that odd power disappearing."

"Hmm," Hadinaru drew out thoughtfully, then he sighed over the implication of it. "You make a very good point, Myriad. It's sad, however, that we don't know who the third party is."

It was then, amidst their talking, that the doors to the Throne Room opened, and the guards announced the Ambassador. Arrik walked into the room with a concerned expression on his face, asking, "I heard some of what happened." Looking over to spot Zelda standing near a window, Risek not too far away, he asked, "Are you alright, my dear?"

"I am fine, thank you, Arrik."

Arrik smiled, then looked at Risek, asking the same thing, "You?"

"Everyone is well," Risek told him. "We're just trying to piece this all together."

"Good, I hope some progress is being made. I'd hate to think anyone could harm such a lovely young lady as your daughter, Hadinaru. Did you manage to apprehend the assailant?"

"We did," the King replied, "he is in the dungeon now, being questioned. We should hear something soon."

"I see, I see," Arrik nodded as he thought about it, heading over to where Risek stood, and once he stopped there, he asked, "Would it help if I talked to the man? I may be able to sense how he truly feels for everything."

"No, I could not ask that of you," Hadinaru replied. "I'd rather wait to see what the interrogation turns up."

"Very well. But if you need my assistance, the offer still stands."

"I'll keep that in mind," Hadinaru told him with an appreciative smile, and then he looked up when the Throne Room doors opened once again. This time the guards announced who he'd been waiting for, and Hadinaru called out, "Link, what did he say?"

Link stepped into the room with Lyonel and he went toward the throne and in a show of respect, bowed down to his sovereign. Once he'd done so, he stood again and started giving a recounting of what had been told to him by Lindon, finishing, "When he saw the Princess, he said he couldn't control himself. He heard a voice telling him to kill her for the White Knights."

"The White Knights?," Hadinaru asked, sounding somewhat incredulous. Without a pause for thought, he looked at Lyonel and said, "Lyonel, gather your men, don't waste time in bringing them here. Just send them out to comb for these riders haunting my lands. I want them all accounted for, and if they resist being brought in, don't hesitate to use all force."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Lyonel nodded, turning to perform his King's command.

As he left, Hadinaru looked back at Link again and waved his hand, "Please, continue. Did he say anything else worthwhile?"

"Yes, actually. From his words, the Knight who approached him bore a crest on his breastplate that looked like a coat of arms belonging to a Kingdom."

"Did he say what it looked like?," Myriad asked.

Looking over at her, Link shook his head, "He mentioned a dragon, and he also said he could draw it for us. I had some paper and a pencil brought for him, and he said he should have it completed by tomorrow."

"A dragon?"

The question came from Risek, and looking over at the Prince, Link nodded. "Do you know of any crests with a dragon on it?"

"A few," Risek replied, "but none that are in use with any Kingdoms that exist now."

"I see," Hadinaru pointed out. Looking back at Link, he told his Knight, "I want you to keep an eye on Lindon for me. I realize I had the Knights sent out, but for now I would feel better if you were here in the Palace, just incase someone else here has been effected by the same thing. Zelda needs to be looked out for."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Link replied formally.

"My King, if I may," Myriad started, stepping over to where her son stood. "Zelda may not be the main target. She could have simply been a random one."

Zelda had thought of that, and lifting her head, she replied, "Myriad's right. Link could be attacked himself, or one of you. I think we should have someone set to patrol the corridors just incase anyone else is attacked without warning."

"Yes," Hadinaru nodded. "But the problem is that anyone could be a potential threat. This does not bode well one bit."

Hadinaru was right. If a Knight went out and came back after running into a Knight, the same thing could happen. If Lindon, an old farmer, could attack the Princess, then anyone could attack whomever these Knights might be targeting, and they wouldn't know until it was too late. Link, looking at Zelda, then at Hadinaru, spoke, "My Lord, keep certain people in the Palace. That way they won't be exposed to these Knights, and check those who return."

Zelda had walked over to him while he suggested this, saying, "I could do that. I sensed that odd power before. Even Myriad and Impa could probably be able to sense it."

"That sounds acceptable," Hadinaru replied. "Then for now, and I apologize in advance to you Ambassador, but the Palace goes on a lock down, as well as the town and the Market. The Palace gates will only remain open for the Knights and soldiers combing the fields for these assailants, and no one else is to enter or leave. Guards are to be posted at all entrances at all times."

Ambassador Arrik nodded his head, saying, "I believe that is a very wise choice of action, Your Majesty. Believe me, I do not want to be randomly attacked, even more so our Prince. There's no need for apology."

Hadinaru gave a nod of his head, and finished, "Then for now, it is settled. Until more light can be shed on this, no one is to leave or enter here."

With that decree given, Link sighed out his breath and looked over at his mother to see what she might have been thinking. She looked completely absorbed by whatever she was considering, and turning, she told Link, "If you need me, I'll be in the library. I want to go look at a few crests in preparation for what Lindon might show us."

Link nodded, giving her an affectionate kiss on the cheek before she left, then he felt his hand being taken. Looking back, seeing Zelda, he turned to her and reached for her arm. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, just a little shocked I suppose. I was curious if I might be able to go see Lindon though."

"Well, I'd rather you not actually," Link started. "He seemed pretty shaken up about what he tried to do, and I don't want him to see you and get upset. It might take him longer to draw the picture if he does. But I'll take you to get it from him tomorrow, if that's fine."

"That's a good point," Zelda nodded. "I can wait. Well, in the meantime, I think I might join your mother."

"I'd like that, you'd be a good help," Link told her. "I'll come down later to see what you've found."

Zelda gave him a smile, and then went to the door, restraining herself from giving him a kiss because of their company, and Link watched a guard heading in behind her for protection before she left the room. As he looked, Arrik moved toward him and asked him, "You're Zelda's intended, aren't you? Link?"

Looking over at the older Althorian, Link nodded his head. "I am," he bowed respectfully, having not yet really met or spoken to the Ambassador yet. "You're Ambassador Arrik?"

"Yes, it's good to meet you finally. I simply wanted to, even during this bit of chaos, extend my gratitude to you, sir."

That confused Link slightly, and he asked in curiosity, "For what, my lord?"

"Well, for the care you've taken of your Kingdom and the service you've rendered it. If not for you, we wouldn't be standing here now, mending things."

"Oh," Link nodded, that humble nature of his taking over as he added, "it's nothing that–"

"Link," Hadinaru began as if he knew what Link was up to. "Don't be humble."

"Ah...yes sir," Link drew out somewhat sheepishly, then just told Arrik, "thank you, Ambassador. I'm glad you're able to be here as well."

Arrik started chuckling softly, seeing that Link didn't like to be put in the spotlight, even if he'd deserved it. But movement caught his eye, and glancing back, he saw Risek heading toward the doors, and asked, "Your Majesty?"

"I'm curious about the crests, if you need me, I'll be looking through the books in the library myself."

Something about that didn't settle well with Link, and he narrowed a brow, sighing softly. But no one else seemed to share his sentiments of thought over it as Hadinaru asked Arrik, "Risek is a man of few words, isn't he?"

"Ever since his mother died," Arrik replied. "She passed away when he was four, and he was witness to that death. I believe that, despite what he says, it has left some emotional scarring on him. But once he gets to know someone, he usually opens up much more to them."

"I see, I'm sorry about that," Hadinaru told the Ambassador. Once the words had been spoken, he considered Risek for a few moments longer, deciding there must have been much more to the young man than simple appearances allowed. Link considered that as well, but his thoughts were interrupted as well whenever Hadinaru looked at him and spoke.

"Do you have any plans of action, Link?"

Looking over, Link considered one thing he'd like to do, and he nodded, "Actually, I'd like to go to the Market with your permission, Your Majesty."

"Why is that?"

"I want to inspect things there further, and see if I can find anymore clues."

Hadinaru considered that, then, with a sigh of breath, nodded. "I don't know what you could find, but perhaps you're right. Go on, but be back inside by sundown. I think it's important for you to be here for now."

"Yes, Your Highness," he nodded and gave his King a final bow before he left the Throne Room. Arrik watched him quietly, having his own thoughts, wondering just how steadfast the young Hylian's mettle was.

"He's tenacious, isn't he?"

"That he is," Hadinaru smiled, hoping that tenacity would allow for much more light to be shed on this sooner rather than later.


	21. Lost and Found

_Chapter 20 - Lost and Found_

Thunder sounded softly from outside as an evening storm came passing through the area. The grey clouds had blocked out a fairly good bit of the evening light, but it wasn't quite dark enough to need the candelabras along the walls lit just yet. Zelda stood in the library with Myriad, going through a book of Royal Crests and Coats of Arms. They hadn't found any with dragons on them yet, but they kept looking, marking any with an animal on it in the meantime just incase what Lindon drew bore any similarities to them.

"This one almost looks like a dragon," Zelda pointed out, "but it's a gryphon."

"Yes," Myriad sighed. "It seems to be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Risek said he'd only seen a few himself. So the chances are that whatever we can find is likely to be what we're looking for."

"He said the Kingdoms didn't even exist anymore," Zelda added, "though I think we should go through them all just incase, instead of just the ancient ones."

"As do I," Myriad agreed.

Turning a few more pages and continuing on in their research, the door to the library unlatched and then opened up. When it did, the light of the evening revealed Risek standing there, and he asked once he saw both Zelda and Myriad glancing toward him, "Might I join you?"

"Please do," Myriad said without pause, "we were just speaking of what you said in the Throne Room."

With a nod, Risek shut the door and stepped over to the table where the books were. Looking them over, Zelda pointed out which ones they'd gone through and which ones they hadn't. So he lifted one that they hadn't and opened the cover. He stood there quietly enough, going through the pictures with them, thinking as he glanced the images over. With most of the books, not all of the crests belonged to Kingdoms in specific, but some to noble families and lineages of royalty as well as that of towns and tribes alike.

But if Risek was right, the crest they were looking for wouldn't be in any of these books.

When Link mentioned that Lindon said the crest bore a dragon, Risek hadn't really considered it until that moment, but the elements mixed together to form a story he'd heard when he was a child from his father. Though, he didn't bring that story up now, knowing better than to create speculation before they had the facts, still, he couldn't help the sinking feeling that he was.

He could only wonder what the reaction might be if he _was_ right however. Somehow, Risek felt the diplomatic mission he was sent on was now hanging from a thread, and all because of the sins of the past. He simply hoped it wouldn't be that bad, and continued to turn the pages without pause through his thoughts, though he did stop when he heard Zelda sighing out a breath.

Setting her book down, she reached for the gloves she wore and began to tug them off, getting the feeling she could turn the pages easier if the slippery material wasn't encompassing her fingers, and settling the white garments to the side, she took the book into her hands again. Using her left, she reached for the page, and spotted her familiar Triforce Symbol on the back of it.

Not thinking much of it, she only wondered how Link might have been back from his visit to the Market already as he'd dropped by the library before he'd left to let them know he'd be back before sundown. When she had that thought though, she knew there shouldn't have been a way that he _could_ have been back already with as little time that had passed since then. So she asked Risek plainly, "Did you see Link heading this way when you came here?"

Still looking through his own book, he replied, "No, I didn't. I haven't seen him since I left the Throne Room."

Zelda's brow furrowed with those words spoken, and she looked up at the Prince. "Are you positive?"

Risek glanced back over at her and gave a nod of his head. Myriad, curiously, looked from her book and at Zelda, wondering what the questions were about, until she spied the Princess looking at the back of her left hand again. Then she noticed the mark there, and slowly turned her eyes to Risek.

Risek got the feeling he was being scrutinized, and he glanced back and forth between the two women. Lifting a brow, he watched Myriad settling her book down and walking over to him. "Risek, might I ask you a favor?"

Somewhat uncertainly, Risek asked in reply, "What's that, my lady?"

"Could you remove your gloves?"

Risek looked at Myriad quietly, unmoving for a moment, and without doing as she asked while giving her a curious and unsure stare, he asked, "How did you figure that out?"

Zelda stood up slowly when she realized that Risek had already seen the mark they were looking for, and Risek glanced at her uncertainly. Walking over, she held up her left hand and showed him her mark. "Do you have something like this on the back of your left hand, but with the top triangle colored in instead of the one I have?"

Risek decided that it was no longer time to kept this secret he'd happened across. After all, he wanted the meaning for it, so he could only guess they'd give him one. Closing the book he'd been holding, he set it onto the table, and then reached for his glove.

Zelda watched as he pried the material from his hand and then looked at the back, finally turning it to show her where the mark was solidly placed in three golden triangles upon his skin.

The ladies response was very similar, both of them inhaling their breaths and sighing it out before glancing at one another. Risek in turn looked between the both of them before he lowered his hand, wondering what they might say about this situation.

Myriad, looking back at him once again, said, "I believe we've finally found it."

Narrowing a brow, Risek asked as if he wasn't sure he liked what they were saying, "Found what?"

---

Link's ride had proven somewhat fruitful. Despite the fact that the lock down command had been given, and watching while he past the soldiers calling out the order to the people in the Market to stay within the boundaries of the town until further notice, Link managed to find one thing he'd considered looking for before - Lindon's hat, laying beneath a counter near the area where he'd been arrested.

But he found nothing else besides this, which was a slight bit disheartening, but he honestly hadn't though he would have found anything. Heading back toward the stables on Epona instead of Frost due to feeling that she needed the exercise, he slowly came to a stop. Sundown would be soon now, and he didn't want to disobey his King's orders, especially not now.

The showers of the evening storm passing through the skies had started falling lightly, the mud beginning to cake up on Epona's hooves as she moved until Link stopped her to climb off of her back. Settling the pregnant mare back into her stall again to keep her from getting too wet in the newly falling rain, Link exited the stables and shut the door behind himself, no one around the particular area, too busy currently making everyone aware of the King's orders. Thunder sounded softly while he walked, the storm not a very bad one at all, but enough to block out a good bit of the evening light.

Walking through the yards to head to the gate of the courtyard, Link heard a galloping horse slowing down on the road nearby, and he glanced over to see Tenio on his steed. The sight made Link curious, because he knew Tenio was supposed to be out with the other Knights looking for the white armored riders that had apparently catalyzed the events of earlier with Zelda, which made him curious to find out what Tenio had come back for.

"Tenio? Did you find something?"

The silver haired Hylian didn't say anything in response, simply stared at Link quietly. The look made Link take a few steps closer, and he shook his head slowly, asking again, "Tenio? Are you alright?"

Link saw something he hadn't expected in that moment, which was Tenio's eyes, at first normal, but then turning to a stark white. Seeing this, Link's own blue eyes widened a good bit.

"Tenio, answer me, what's going on?"

Uncertainty washed over Link while his friend's eyes changed, and Tenio suddenly gripped the reigns of his horse and dug his legs into the animal's hind flanks hard. The horse reared up and started in at a heavy gallop as if to plow Link over without concern. The movement made Link gasp, and he leapt out of the way as quickly as possible, rolling to the side so he could still move if he needed to.

Glancing up, the wind picking up the tendrils of his blonde hair and the back of his blue windsock, he spied Tenio's horse passing his position, but the Hylian himself was turning on his mount's back and pulling out his bow from his back before he gripped an arrow and tugged it from his quiver to notch it. Link had always considered Tenio's archery skills to be second to none, even his own, and it was the one area he was glad to be friends instead of enemies with the Hylian for. So witnessing this, Link grabbed his sword instead of his shield because he knew exactly what was coming.

Moving from where he'd come to crouch, Link jumped out of the way as an arrow was released and flew through the air toward him, hitting the grass where Link had been standing just a moment beforehand. The arrow exploded against the ground in a burst of fire which was why Link hadn't bothered with his shield. It might have prevented the arrow itself from hitting him, but the fire would have burned him.

Tenio didn't waste time either, notching another arrow quickly before firing at Link again, and Link turned his sword against the arrow as it flew toward him, knocking it to the side with a careful swipe of his blade and into the ground where it exploded in a second burst of fire.

"**Tenio**!," Link yelled to him, trying to get through to his friend. He knew that whatever had happened to Lindon was now happening to the Knight, and he added, "You don't want to do this!"

The yelling and explosions had drawn the attention of the soldiers, three of which had come running up, unsure what to think about what they were seeing. Link called back to them however in order to stop them from interfering, afraid Tenio might get hurt if they did. Instead, he ordered them to stand back, having that ability due to his Knighthood, and told them to simply not let Tenio get away, uncertain of what the Hylian might do if he ran.

Another arrow flew toward Link who swiped his sword again, knocking the third and final projectile to the side just before his friend dismounted from his horse. Slowing to a stop, Link watched Tenio pull his own blade from his hip, making a yell of attack while he ran in to try to do his friend harm.

Link's brows narrowed, knowing this wasn't going to be easy. He couldn't hurt Tenio, but apparently, his friend was set on hurting him. With this knowledge in mind, Link finally pulled his shield off of his back and turned it ahead of himself as soon as Tenio brought his own weapon down against it, hearing the clink of metal accompanied by the sparks it created on the dull stormy evening.

Trying not to allow Tenio any time to do more, Link grunted as he pushed himself forward, resulting in shoving Tenio back, faster and faster until the Hylian hit the wall that surrounded the courtyard behind him. Link held him there, Tenio's blade stuck between his body and the shield that was forced against it, his back to the wall, and Link tried to reason with him once again.

"Snap out of it, Tenio! Talk to me!"

Tenio didn't listen though, and with a grunt of effort, he thrust his head forward, slamming it into Link's, hitting his nose, which drew a line of blood from his nostril before he kicked the blue clad Knight back, his own attire currently red. Link stumbled backwards and lost his grip on the Hylian Knight, blinded by the pain shooting through his face at that moment, not thinking his nose was broken, but knowing it had been damaged.

Tenio seemed, as Lindon had, to be much stronger than normal, and Link wished he'd remembered that stipulation of this entire mess. The one thing he did remember though was that Lindon had seemed to snap out of it, so he could only hope that Tenio would as well before anything dire happened. But he didn't stop from defending himself, lifting his shield again when he spied Tenio moving to make another attack. Link's aim was a little off though because of his earlier distraction, and Tenio's weapon bit into his shoulder and across his chest after it had slide down against the side of Link's shield.

A few inches closer and it could have cleaved Link's head from his shoulders. But Tenio was suddenly pushed away from Link in his distraction, which prevented more damage from being caused. The guards had finally found a good opportunity to tackle the crazed Knight, pushing him to the ground and holding him there. Link, in seeing this once he'd stumbled to the side from the wound he'd just received, took a deep breath and pushed himself up slowly.

Ignoring the pain he felt in his shoulder and nose, he walked over to crouch down before his currently entrapped friend. Tenio was struggling still, under the effects of whatever spell had been cast on him, and Link put his sword upon his back along with his shield again, saying Tenio's name once more. "Can you hear me?"

Just a moment later following the question, the struggles stopped, and the color came back into the once controlled Knight's eyes. Breathing heavily, Tenio gasped in response, "Link!? Are you alright?"

With the rains pouring much harder now, drenching all five of them, Tenio turned his head and looked up to see that Link had nodded slowly. But the silver haired Hylian didn't look convinced. Instead, he looked fairly horrified in seeing Link's bloody nose, and the tear in his jerkin that was trickling a little bit of blood now.

"What have I done?"

"Nothing," Link replied, letting the guards pull Tenio up to stand once they had the shackles on his wrists, but despite this, they didn't let go of him just yet, afraid he would try to attack Link once again.

Link knew that Tenio must have had a run in with a White Knight, and curiously, he asked, "What happened, Tenio?"

Sighing out his breath as the rains fell to wash some of the mud away from his jerkin, the Knight spoke in answer, "I was following Lyonel's orders, searching for anything I could find, when I saw one of the White Knights, and began to follow him with as much stealth as possible to see where he would go. I wasn't close to him at all however when I blacked out. I must have been ambushed perhaps. But knowing what was going on, I decided to come back here hoping to have myself put in the dungeon before I could attempt to harm any of my friends. But then I saw you and I couldn't stop myself."

Link's brows narrowed. Apparently, his Mother was right, and the targets were random. The news wasn't very promising at all, and Link pushed some of the wet hair out of his face while he tried to consider what they could do now before he asked, "How do you feel?"

"Terrible," Tenio replied.

"I mean, do you feel like you might snap again?"

"No, but that doesn't mean I won't. I would still like to be held within the dungeons. Just incase."

It seemed like a good enough idea to be safe. But if things kept up this way, all of the Knights and soldiers out looking for these riders would be in the dungeons before sunrise. Still, it was the best option for now until they knew more, and Link nodded his head. "Alright. You're probably right anyway. It might be safer like that. When my Father gets back, hopefully not under the influence of any spells, I'll let him know about you."

Tenio nodded, thanking his friend. While being turned to be taken with the soldiers to the dungeon, Link let his head fall forward in thought. What if his father _did_ come back under the influence of one of those Knights, and attacked him? Or even worse, his mother? Closing his eyes, Link sincerely hoped that wouldn't happen, especially not with Lyonel's knowledge of the arcane, as he could more than likely cause a good deal of damage.

But his thoughts slowly died away from that situation, and went to Zelda. He had the oddest urge to find her and hold her, just until he felt a little bit better. Turning his head, he glanced up at the windows across the way which he knew belonged to the Library where she was, and he could see the lights within it were on, telling him that she was still there, or his mother was anyway. Maybe Risek was with them also, which wasn't exactly something Link hoped for in that moment.

Turning, he began to walk toward the gates of the courtyard with the determination to find her and not only hug her once he did, but also ask her if she had a bottle of potion because his nose and shoulder just stung and throbbed like crazy and it was getting irritating.

---

_The Hylians weren't sure what was going on. It was somewhat humorous to see them scrambling about, trying to keep themselves safe in the threat of unknown danger, only just now realizing that perhaps someone was behind these instances of control. But things were well underway, and soon now, all would fall right into place. The set up was the most meticulous part._

_The only thing they have that could remotely tie us is the crest bore on our suits of armor. But they won't find that crest within any of their scrolls or books. None of them will ever find out the truth behind the attacks, and even if they did manage to match that picture to what it truly represented, they wouldn't understand what it was that they were glimpsing._

_With puppets in place to attack targets set at random, confusion will cloud judgment and truth, and shield us from unwanted eyes. But this form of control does have its toll on our powers. Soon now we will have to vanish from sight completely for a while, until we can regenerate it. This does not hinder our plans however, as what we wanted has been accomplished._

_But we have to find the amulet. Only with that can we destroy the mute that was placed on our power so long ago._


	22. Seed of Doubt

_Chapter 21 - Seed of Doubt_

Risek had definitely been enlightened by the two ladies he'd come to assist in searching for the crest they sought. So, he bore the Triforce of Power, was granted it after the previous owner lost possession of it and was overthrown. He'd had the relic for nearly four months now, and simply hadn't known it, though no that he did, Risek had to admit to a certain feeling of awareness of its presence, the same for which could be said about Link and Zelda.

Zelda had remembered sensing something strangely familiar about the Prince when she'd first met him, and now she knew what her answer was. She was actually excited in a way, couldn't help that simply because Risek seemed to be a fairly benevolent person, and to know that the Triforce half once possessed by evil was now in the hands of someone good made all her the more curious over the more mysterious of the three pieces. Not to mention what implications it might have.

Risek somehow had to admit that he was completely humbled that a relic of such power was granted to him, possibly to assist in the things that could have been going wrong here, or perhaps in his own Kingdom, but until he knew for sure, he wanted to be careful with such a force at his whims for control. Being a man who exercised that type of discipline as well, he wasn't completely worried he couldn't do it, but more so, he did worry about the impact it could have on not only his duty here, but also on his people if they'd found out the truth of the matter.

Some might say he was going to attempt to overthrow his own father and even worse, with the mysterious nature of his father's illness, they might even think he was the cause of it to begin with. But with that thought, Risek did regret being in Hyrule now, because he had the feeling he might have been able to use that power once he could fully understand its nature to help Seriun to get better.

Before all of this though, he had to know be certain of a little more, and he cast his thoughtful green eyes over at Zelda to ask her his questions.

"You say this mark only shows itself when another who possesses a different half is near?"

"Yes," she replied.

"Which is it you possess?"

"That of Wisdom. Link possesses the half of Courage."

Risek kept that in mind, adding, "And your enemy, Ganondorf, carried this half before me?"

"Yes."

Having his facts straight now for certain, Risek turned to look at Myriad and asked her in turn, "Do you think it was granted to me for a reason?"

"There is always a reason for these things, my lord," Myriad replied. "Sometimes we have to find them in our own time, but we will always find them."

Risek gave a nod of understanding, and then added, "So, knowing I have this Triforce now, I'm certain the two of you are concerned."

"Why?," Zelda asked.

Risek waved a hand toward her as he replied, "It once belonged to your enemy. That notion must make you a little wary."

"No," Zelda shook her head. "Ganondorf was already twisted and evil. The Triforce of Power simply reflected that in him. Now, it should serve you as you want things to be, and bring the traits out in your own soul that are most prominent."

The words somehow hit Risek like a tons of bricks, and with narrowing brows, he turned to face the window again with a sigh. The way _he_ wanted things to be? He wasn't so certain even a powerful relic fashioned by the Goddess's could do that in this world. Who was he to have that type of power anyway? Why would what he wanted be more important than what anyone else did? He felt a hand upon his shoulder as he asked himself that question and looked back, seeing Myriad standing there, speaking once she had his attention.

"Don't brood over it, Risek. You're still the same person you were a few moments ago. There's nothing that has changed at all, just your acceptance of this new knowledge is all that is now needed."

Having told him all that she could, Myriad lowered her hand and went back over to the books. Lifting one up, she added the words, "I wouldn't suggest telling your Ambassador about this until you've done so. If you tell him beforehand, even if he's trusted, he may influence you to a course you may not wish to take ultimately."

"You would even suggest me to tell him at all?" Risek asked, looking over at her.

"I would," Myriad replied, looking back over toward him. "Why not? Yes, it is indeed a powerful relic you carry, one which has been lusted after by men throughout the ages, but knowing that a Prince of Althor has been granted a powerful relic of the Goddess's themselves which was gifted to Hyrule, do you not think that in and of itself is the greatest form of unification and trust, which are some of the most basic foundations for diplomacy?"

Risek couldn't help but be surprised, though he could definitely see the logic in her words. "You do possess a keen intellect, my lady," he began. "I simply thought you might suggest to keep it a secret because you wouldn't want your relic tarnished."

"It is not my relic," Myriad replied nonsensically, "it is for everyone, but now yours as chosen by the Goddesses, and, as I have always believed before, as long as they do not become greedy and instead, share what they gain from the possession, there should be nothing to worry from allowing those you care for to know the truth. The same general principles apply to all of the Goddess's workings. I know Althor itself carries many ancient relics. Were I, or Zelda to be granted one of them not by our own accord, would you demand it be kept a secret, or returned?"

Risek considered that, brows narrowing before he snorted, "It depends on the relic," he told Myriad in jest. Then, with a shake of his head, he added, "There would be no place for me to make such demands, not if you were granted that object for a specific reason. Though I have to admit, I didn't want to let anyone know to begin with."

"Why is that?" Zelda's curious question came softly with a tilt of her head.

"Well, with the way people like to talk and gossip spreads, I'd likely find myself hung the day I stepped foot back into the Kingdom."

"For what?" Zelda couldn't help but asked, slowly shaking her head, "Because they're afraid of what they don't understand in the Triforce? Perhaps you're right, and maybe it should never be told, but the more good you use it for, the less anyone will fear such an unknown power."

"True," Risek agreed, "I suppose I'll simply have to follow Lady Myriad's advice and wait until I'm ready."

It sounded like the best plan of action to all three of them for now. In a way, Zelda felt that it definitely mirrored the things to come between Althor and Hyrule if they could agree to trust one another like this and inform no one for now of the discovery they had just made out of the effort of making sure everything was performed properly and went smoothly. Except for Link, of course, who definitely had a right to know, and not to mention he'd probably figure it out anyway if he was around the Prince enough.

Risek himself also found the implications of the object interesting - the ability to resist magical attacks on a much stronger level, as well as attack both with a weapon and with magic more fiercely. From what they'd said, it would simply be an enhancement of abilities he'd already gained, and when he was ready, the Triforce would be more at his disposal to do with as he saw fit. In knowing this as well, Risek had a few other considerations come to mind.

Zelda had the Triforce of Wisdom, and that definitely explained a lot to him as far as her intelligence went, not to mention her gracefulness in that logic. He'd also heard, though not seen, that her knowledge of the arcane and powers in that area were far beyond any of her age group, and he regarded her quietly for a moment while they'd continued to lift their books and search for the crests.

In it being that he hadn't come to Hyrule specifically wanting personally to wed her, he could definitely see how such a desire would form over time. But that still didn't change his personal desires on the matter. Such thinking also led him to think of the one she was intended for, and his own Triforce.

The Triforce of Courage? With the stories Risek had thus far heard, that this brave young Hylian had overthrown the King of Evil in the Sacred Realm itself after destroying monsters and threats throughout the lands - though he once again hadn't seen it - he could only imagine that Link was, in fact, a brave, courageous person, Triforce or not. This changed his opinion little however, or at least, it had no impact on the situation as it was.

But his thoughts were distracted when, not long after their conversation had ended, he heard Zelda speaking. As she went through the pages of her book, she smiled and said, "I think we'll know something's wrong if Risek starts chuckling evilly every five minutes, Myriad."

Risek wasn't sure what she'd meant, but he heard Myriad snickering softly over the implication, knowing fully well how Ganondorf had a penchant for arrogantly laughing in the faces of his enemies.

While Risek inquired on the meaning behind her comment and Myriad explained it, Zelda's attention was caught by the door, silently seeing Link peering inside of the room, and the sight of him made her eyes go wide. She had to stop herself from gasping though because he was putting a finger to his lips to tell her to keep silent for now, then waved a hand for her to come out and into the hallway.

Zelda, looking over to hear Myriad finishing her explanation, and Risek's comment to how it that kind of thing would have been very irritating, Zelda said, "Could you two pardon me for just a moment? I need to take a short personal break."

"Of course, my Princess," Myriad replied, not really watching and still simply thumbing through her pages while Zelda settled her book onto the table and walked across the room with her white skirts shifting about her hurried feet as she did so. Taking the knob into her hand, she looked at Link standing there waiting on her, the condition of his face and his shoulder, making sure she'd properly shut the door before she asked him anything.

"Link, what happened!?"

His clothing was still wet and there was a smear of blood across his cheek from where he'd wiped his nose, the red stains on his white tunic along with the tear in the fabric also further proof that he'd been attacked, but he acted fine as he shook his head for her not to worry too much about it. "I don't want my mother to see me like this, but I needed to ask if you might be able to–," he stopped when Zelda lifted her hands to his arms and began to use the healing power she'd gained to take care of his afflictions.

"Well," he went on, "I didn't mean that, I really just needed some potion. It's only a scratch."

"Link," Zelda replied as the white glow beneath her palms began to mend the wound that trailed from his shoulder and below his collar bone, as well as the damage to his nose, asking about the mark, "was this a sword?"

"Yeah," he drew out somewhat sheepishly.

She went wide eyed, watching as he turned his head to sneeze in addition to his current state of being, and she sighed and grabbed his hand, pulling him along, "Link, that could have taken your head off! And you're sneezing. You could be getting a cold if you don't change your clothes!"

"I know," Link sighed, letting her pull him along if only to make her feel better, all the while not admitting that he mostly just wanted to see her despite the fuss he knew she'd throw, which he would have avoided otherwise. After all, worrying her wasn't the top item on his list of things to do. "But I'm fine, honestly, even better now, it was just a scratch."

"Link, who did this?"

Heading up the stairs and to the top when she asked that question, he cleared his throat and said somewhat softly, "Tenio."

Zelda stopped and spun around to face him with wide eyes. "Tenio?"

Link nodded, "We put him in the dungeons until we know more about this, but it was the White Knights again, no doubts about it. You and Mother were right about the targets being anyone apparently. I'm worried about my Father now. If he comes back and attacks me, or even worse, my Mother, I won't know what to do."

Zelda looked him over, his hair soaked, slicked back currently with the effort of keeping it out of his face, and she reached up with her fingers to wipe away the blood from his cheek that he'd missed himself and said, "I really should go to see him you know."

Link had turned his head while she spoke with a sniffle, then put his hand up and sneezed again before groaning first and then asking, "Uhh–why? He didn't see anything specifically revealing, sadly enough."

Frowning at him, and not just because of his words but also because of how he kept sneezing, Zelda slipped her arm around his back despite the fact that his clothes were wet, walking the rest of the way to his room with him before she decided to talk anymore about this.

Link didn't mind the attention at all even though he did feel somewhat bad about showing up like he had without trying to clean up any. "I know I should have changed first, but I just really wanted to find you first."

As the door to his room opened, Zelda gave him a mild smile that said she was flattered, stepping into the chamber before him, and then shut the door once he was inside. Link wanted to kiss her, but he knew he should at least change his wet clothes first, and so he went over to the corner of the room and took off the strap of his sword and shield around his chest, settling the item against the wall before he reached for his belt.

While he removed that and then grabbed his jerkin to tug it off, Zelda had gone to his dresser to find a new set of clothes to help him to change into, and while she searched, she told him, "If Lyonel returns under the influence of this magic being used on our people, you're right, it could be devastating. The hard part would be trying not to harm him while keeping him from harming anyone else."

She heard Link's sigh of breath as he tossed his blue jerkin across a chair so he could remember to give it to someone to be cleaned and mended, and she looked over as he told her, "That's how I just got so hurt, and also what I'm worried about. But your father already knows. I had one of the guards report to him over it. So hopefully, he'll have someone to check all of the Knights whenever they return to the barracks."

"The good thing about this mess," he added before he tugged his tunic off which temporarily stopped his words, and set it with his jerkin before turning around to face her, finally continuing, "is that people seem to know when those White Knights have done anything to them. Tenio was returning with the sole intention of being imprisoned until he was certain that magic wouldn't cause him to harm anyone. He just ran into me on the way there."

Zelda had settled a tunic and a new pair of pants onto the bed for him, and while she wasn't exactly embarrassed by the fact that he was shirtless as much as she used to be, she still felt a bit of modesty over his shirtless state while she walked over to the wash basin to take a dry clothe in order to dry his damp skin with.

Link just watched her doing all of this for him, somehow feeling in that moment as if they were already married, knowing she wanted to make sure he was taken care of. Not to mention she just looked so beautiful to him, the elegant dress she wore in the colors of white and a beautifully dark red across the front of the garment and the hem of the skirt with her hair freely hanging down the low cut back of the outfit. It was somehow a very prideful feeling to have, and he liked it, though he did consider for the millionth time just how unworthy of her he probably was, despite what she always told him.

Link had stopped speaking however simply because of the blush that had appeared on her face, and he couldn't help himself when she walked over to him, smiling as he asked, "Are you embarrassed?"

He thought she might've been more used to it by that time considering what they'd both done together, and also how she'd seen him shirtless aside from their intimate time anyway. She shook her head no at him however, and cleared her throat before she took the task of drying him into her own hands just to prove it.

"No, I'm not embarrassed, Link."

"You're blushing."

Zelda sighed somewhat indignantly, and seeing him grin whenever she did just irritated her even further. "Don't pick at me right now, I have something I need to tell you too."

Letting her dry him off, Link somehow didn't feel like hearing anymore bad news - which it probably was considering what had been happening lately - and he turned his head whenever she walked behind him to dry his back, deciding he'd pick on her anyway.

"I'm still wearing wet pants, you know."

Zelda did blush when he said that, glad that he couldn't see it, and she put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips. "Now you're just _trying_ to embarrass me." Holding up the towel, she said, "Here, you can do it," and then went to walk off.

Link was trying not to snicker, finding her reactions far too cute to ignore, and he grabbed her wrist and pulled her over before she could walk away completely. Gasping, Zelda turned to face him with the tug he'd given her, and her hands landed against his chest and shoulders before she found herself submersed in a sweetly given kiss with her eyes wide open while she stared up at him in surprise. But they slowly closed, and she started returning the kiss, feeling a few shivers rising up through her in response to it.

Slowly, the kiss broke off, and Link opened his eyes to see the bemused expression on her face, which made him smile. "You're not going to leave, are you?"

Opening her own eyes to gaze up at him, she shook her head no slowly. "No, but I'm not changing your pants for you either since you'll just laugh at me."

The response made them both snicker softly, and in the process, Zelda stood back and she turned around, stepping away to give him privacy to do what he needed to. As she stared at the wall and some of his things settled against it, which included his sword and shield, as well as his gauntlets which were resting on the table near the chair where he'd put his wet jerkin and tunic, she considered the situation, and the fact that it actually might be good practice for when they were actually wed. after all, being his wife, she'd have a duty to help him take care of what he needed, and nudity was definitely something she was going to have to grow accustomed to whenever it came to being with him.

But before she could make up her mind about anything, she heard him saying, "You know, you _have_ seen me nude."

With a little sight, she replied, "Yes, and I'd prefer to only do so when we're forced into that _terrible_ act that only married couples are supposed to engage in, or if you're mortally wounded and I have to fix it."

"Terrible?" She heard him asking that as if he thought she might've been crazy, and she began snickering softly. But she shouldn't have picked like that because the next line she heard told her something was coming. "I'll show you terrible."

His arms wound around her from behind and she went wide eyed as she grabbed his wrists and asked, "Link! Are you–"

"Nude as the day I was born." There was a definite smugness to his voice, and were she capable of looking at him in that moment, she would've seen the biggest, most amused grin on his face she ever had.

"Oh for the love of Nayru! Go put your pants on at least!"

He was snickering loudly, actually trying to turn her around, though he'd been lying all along anyway, wearing the dry leggings she'd pulled out for him now - though he still didn't have a shirt on - and she tried to smack his hands away in the process. But he was winning, and she began squeezing her eyes shut when he managed to get her turned around while exclaiming, "This isn't funny!"

"If you'd open your eyes, you'd see why it really is."

Zelda didn't trust him, and she told him so, "No, you just want to see me blush some more!"

"If I wanted to see you do that, then I'd do this," he said and grabbed her hand, which made her think he might be trying to put it somewhere _in specific_, but how could he do that to her!? What in the name of Farore's Wind had gotten into him?

"Don't you dare, you–oh!," she stopped when she felt his belt, opening her eyes and then turning a glare up at him, "You're terrible, Link!" She smacked his arms away from her and backed away a good few steps, crossing her arms over her chest. "Really, is this what I'm going to have to deal with when we're married?"

Link chuckled and shook his head, "If the mood fits, maybe."

"Oh, I can't believe you," she started, still annoyed but she was trying not to smile when she actually thought about it. It was a clever prank to pull after all. She'd simply have to find a way to get him back. Then she got an idea, and she told Link, "You know, it's sad that you do this in front of your own mother."

"I'm not–,"

"Link! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

The chastising voice of Myriad made Link spin around swiftly only to see her standing there near the doorway with a glare on her face and he tensed up with a slight yell of surprise. Had she just come in when he hadn't been paying any attention!?

But before he could say anything, the mirage faded away and he heard Zelda snickering. Reality came crashing down on him all at once, and his face went completely blank for a moment. Suddenly narrowing his brows and pursing his lips however, he slowly looked over at her with a malevolent intent in his eyes, and she cleared her throat and stood with the proper posture, pretending nothing had just happened.

She did step away though when he neared her, and before she could do anything like teleport out of the way - because he knew she would and if he grabbed her, she'd just take him with her - he reached for her arm and tugged her over, making her let a little squeal of part fear and part amusement. Swinging her around, he found her grabbing his wrists because she knew he was going to try to tickle her for what she'd done.

"Link, don't! Fair is fair!"

Link started snickering softly as she pushed on his hands, not using all of the strength he could have at all because for one, he knew he was stronger than her, and two, he didn't want to accidentally hurt her, simply snickering while she squirmed in the threat of his possible tickle torture.

Neither of them had heard the knock at the door due to their playfulness however, and so the visitor cracked it open and said, "Pardon me for interrupting, but you didn't seem to hear the door."

"It's not going to work this time, love," Link told her knowingly.

"It's not me!," Zelda informed Link with an almost horrified look on her face, seeing the door cracked open. Seeing the look on her face and looking over at the door himself, able to tell now that it wasn't her because the door had been cracked open a bit though whoever was there was just waiting politely on the other side, Link let go of Zelda and she watched him grabbing his tunic from the bed and pulling it over his head quickly. Trying not to laugh at him while he did so, simply glad someone had essentially saved the day as it were, Zelda told the person to come in once he'd had the garment in place, even if he hadn't tucked it into his pants.

Link watched the door opening to reveal Risek, who apparently was a bit reluctant to enter the room, but did so anyway with the open invitation, stepping just inside before he stopped. Link wasn't sure he liked the intrusion, but instead of complaining about it, he went to the wash basin to finish cleaning up a bit, tugging his drier hair now from where he'd tied it back while Zelda greeted Risek.

Risek looked between them as he started, "I'm sorry to intrude, but your father requested to see you both. I told him I could run the errand since I was heading to my chambers anyway. Myriad suggested you'd be here when she heard what happened with the Knights and the Soldiers near the stables."

"I see," Zelda replied, giving him a nod and a smile. Then she looked over at Link who was busy washing his hands and she leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek, "I'll go on to see what he wants so he's not kept waiting."

"Alright," Link nodded, "let him know I'm on my way."

Smiling at him, she walked toward Risek and then past him with a politely asked, "Excuse me," and once she left the two alone, Link looked over at the Prince.

Risek had only spared him a partial glance, not really wishing to stay there, before he'd turned around to leave as well. But Link stopped him by asking the question, "You don't like me very much, do you?"

Stopping when he heard the question, and taking in a breath which he sighed out softly through his lips, Risek stood there for only a moment before he gave his answer. Link waited curiously, and then heard the words, "No, not specifically."

Narrowing his brows with the answer he'd been expecting given but still not completely understood, Link dried his hands off while stepping around the wash basin in order to take a few steps toward him, and he asked while he moved, "What did I do to cause it? I'd like to know to try to fix it."

Even though Link didn't feel as if he'd done anything in particular to earn any of the Prince's disfavor, and while there had been tension he'd felt of his own with the man standing before him now, he still felt obligated to try to fix it. Link was never quick to anger, even when someone said they disliked him or had a problem with something he generally stood for as an example. So whether or not he felt Risek was justified in the fact that he disliked him was of no consequence really. Link simply wanted to try to set it right if he could.

Risek decided to stay just to have a short talk with the Hylian when he requested to know how to solve this problem, and turning back around, he gave Link a look that said he didn't think there would be a way to fix it, informing him, "Stop being what you are, which I doubt is possible."

Link couldn't help it, his expression turning to completely confused and, on the same token, surprised. "Everything about myself?"

"Most of it," Risek replied somewhat flatly, though he also sounded a slight bit sympathetic as he added the words, "which I understand sounds completely unfair to you. But I'm sure you're not very fond of me either. After all, I asked for your fiancee, and that can't settle too well with any man who loves his woman as you apparently do."

Link was starting to see a little more of where Risek was coming from now with that explanation alone. He began to believe that the Prince really only disliked him because of the circumstances under which they had to meet, and probably believed that Link might have never accepted him in turn. So he attempted to clear that air up, deciding that even if it didn't work, he'd tried. "You were just doing your duty. I didn't like it when I found out, but there was no harm done."

Risek's gaze turned to scrutiny to learn that apparently Link could accept that there were certain duties that might have caused tension. Was Link really so forgiving? Uncertain of that, risek asked him something he knew wouldn't be so acceptable. "What if I said that if I could step between the two of you, I would? And it wouldn't be because I want Zelda despite her grace and intelligence, but simply due to that duty. Would you be so forgiving then?"

Link couldn't help the look he gave Risek in that moment, unhappy and, in fact, angry. It made him question exactly what the Prince might have been after, if perhaps he really was intent on having Zelda as his wife after all, even if he claimed to not want her - at least not in a romantic aspect anyway. In seeing the expression, Risek continued, "I didn't think so," before he turned to leave the room, his suspicions proven true.

But Link wasn't done yet, and before the Prince could even take two steps, he stopped him with the words, "Duty _is_ important, and I have a duty to get along with you, even though I don't want to right now. My duty is to Zelda and to my Kingdom. I can tell that you have a duty to your own that you're following. But if you can't forgive me for what I am, then how can I forgive you for anything in return?"

Link stopped only briefly before he gave the answer to his own question. "Because I have a duty to. And it's a personal duty, because I'd rather make friends than enemies, and even if I don't like what your duty would make you do, that doesn't suggest I hate you for being put in a position where things aren't in your control."

It was hard for Link to say that in knowing that Risek was essentially telling him he would try to gain Zelda's favor for him if he had the opportunity, but it was the truth as well. Link wasn't condoning Risek and Zelda one bit, not at all, but as was his nature - unless legitimately provoked and his world truly threatened - he couldn't hate someone for being put under circumstances they couldn't help.

Risek hadn't responded to the words yet, and so Link continued, "You know, I don't think it's me you dislike. I think you just don't like the fact that you've seen for yourself how well we get along, and in knowing there's no chance for you to step between us because we're actually suited, you're irritated."

"Yes," came the reply as Risek's back faced him still, "you're right. The two of you do seem happy together. Zelda is lucky she can wed someone she feels for regardless of their status. But I will give you a fair warning, Link."

Risek turned around and gave Link a look that suggested he wasn't trying to mettle in his affairs whatsoever. The words he was about to speak were exactly as he'd put them, a warning. "Have you never experienced injury to pride or duty due to the fact that you are the man, and your future duty to your wife dictates taking her concerns into consideration before making the ultimate decisions, however it's her word as a royal that outweighs yours? I realize as well that she's very intelligent, but she is also a woman, and even if you're fine with it, do you ever think she might be unsettled, yet keeping quiet over something that actually does bother her? Don't you think that would unbalance a marriage to her? Make one or even both of you unhappy?"

Risek could have been right in that respect, but Link already knew the solution to the suggestion, and he replied meaningfully. "I know, she's actually serving on the Courts of Hyrule, and I only serve to protect it. I had to bite my tongue a few weeks ago in the face of scrutiny on that same court by my own people, and allow her to handle the issue alone. There's been several nights where I've thought I'm not worthy of her, but she's never turned me away, and even if I were to somehow become a beggar, I know she'd still have me. There isn't a social status between us, Risek. My place, in order to make her happy, is to stand by her side, no matter if I'm a beggar or an emperor, because I have another duty as her future husband to make sure she's taken care of."

"But that's the problem isn't it," Risek said, his tone somewhat flat, "you just suggested she took care of the scrutiny on the court. You were unable to due to your status. If it holds you back now, how might it do so later when you're both married, and the responsibility is greater?"

Risek, honestly, didn't want to sour Link's mood with that information. He honestly wasn't trying to cause bad blood between them at all. He also, whether Link believed it or not, honestly wasn't actually _trying_ to step between them now either because he could have really cared less whether he wed Zelda or not. It just wasn't that important to him at the end of the day. But he had to state these things, because if he didn't, he felt it could cause a worse problem later for the both of them, and dislike toward Link or not, he wasn't a cruel person in that respect.

He didn't know if they'd discussed these types of things yet either, and perhaps it wasn't his place without knowing them as well as he could to say it, but now that they were discussing it, he had to be completely honest. This was simply a means to, hopefully, prepare them for the realities that they did actually face.

Link had grown quiet for a moment, trying to think of something to say in response to those words, but in that moment, he couldn't. Risek, in seeing the expression on his face - which to say wasn't very pleasant - sighed and added the words, "I'm sorry to put you in a foul mood if I have. I know you don't like or even trust me, but I simply thought that perhaps pointing that out now might make things easier for you later if you haven't considered them yet. After all, if I'm right about what kind of person you are, you strike me as a man who would rather be the one to take care of things, and not be taken care of."

The words did surprise Link, somehow finding it strange that after what they'd already spoken of, Risek could sound the way he had, which was a bit apologetic and also as if he honestly wasn't saying this to do as he'd suggested and step in Link's and Zelda's way. Link couldn't be one hundred percent sure of that, no, but he just got the feeling that Risek was simply being honest and telling him this because he really believed it might help in the long run.

But still, Link couldn't help but ask him anyway, "You're not thinking this is going to make me change my mind, are you?"

"No," Risek replied without the need for consideration over it. "After all, dislike or not, as you said, we have a duty to get along despite circumstances out of our control. If our Kingdoms are to ally themselves, then I would hope you'd simply take these words as friendly advice."

"If that's the case, and you're really not all that interested in taking Zelda in a royal marriage, then why dislike me for having her as my fiancee?" Link then had the thought strike him - one which hit him like a ton of bricks - and he spoke it aloud, "Unless you're in love with someone you can't be with."

Risek didn't respond to that comment, and his face - as per usual - was impossible to read over the matter. "I love no one," he told Link in a very simple explanation, and Link might've believed those words if he hadn't turned around and said a bit coldly, "You've been delayed long enough though. Your King is waiting for you."

Link stayed quiet, letting Risek leave the room, and once the door shut, he sighed softly. That had to be the case, but apparently it was a very touchy subject for Risek, and if it actually was true, Link couldn't say he blamed the man. After all, unattainable love could indeed serve to make someone grow bitter, and if he wasn't interested in completely pursuing a marriage to Zelda, then the only real answer Link could see to the question of why was that very reason. If he didn't wed Zelda, he could still hang on to the fleeting hope that maybe one day he'd be able to have the woman he truly loved, instead of pretending to be happy in a marriage that he never wanted.

To top it off, Link could also only imagine that the way Risek felt toward him was also due to a good bit of jealousy. After all, Link was no Prince, or even a low level lord of any county or province in Hyrule, yet he was still marrying the King's daughter, and to top it all off, she happened to be the love of his life. That must have really bit into the monarch to find out.

But with the thoughts of Zelda, Link began to grumble. Risek didn't know him, nor did he know Zelda, so there was no way he could articulate the future or know what might happen between them to unbalance a marriage or not. After all, Link and Zelda had a long history together, and sometimes even found one another finishing their statements as if they already knew what was going to be said, and then doing things for one another without having to ask. They had an unbreakable bond, and even though Risek was right in the fact that Link did feel as if he should be the one to care for things, it was different when it came to their duties in their social statuses.

The Prince had been able to plant a seed of doubt in Link's mind, and if there was any reason that Link didn't like the man, it was because of that alone. He'd been content before Risek had come along and gave him that warning, but now he found himself actually thinking about it.

Link made a loud groan of frustrations while he finished getting ready to go and see Hadinaru with those thoughts in mind, determining as he went to push all of Risek's words from his head as completely as he could.

Sadly though, just pushing those thoughts out of his head wasn't that easy.


	23. Traditional Values

_Chapter 23 - Traditional Values_

"I do not think that diplomacy here will suffer, but I do have to question the problems that are apparent within the lands of the Kingdom. I don't think Althor will be able to render help in these matters. Not with an ailing King currently. So if any treaty is signed before this problem can be resolved, we may not be able to aide Hyrule until he recovers."

One of the diplomats had spoken those words in Ambassador Arrik's chambers, sitting at a table discussing business as they needed to so that the diplomatic process could continue. Risek had just entered the room a few minutes beforehand while they were talking, and Arrik told him to stay for just a few minutes so they could get his input on a few things as well. He didn't mind it, glad to pay attention to anything that might distract him from the talk he'd had with Link before adjourning there. After all, it didn't settle well that Link had figured out his inner workings so easily, and in fact, it annoyed him greatly. Risek had yet to figure out where the Hylian's ability to get under his skin stemmed from, but he wished it wasn't a factor.

But the discussion continued, and Risek paid attention to the words while Arrik, who'd been listening, nodded his head slowly, taking the diplomat's suggestion under consideration while idly stroking his beard.

Alarun - Arrik's assistant who was seated next to the Ambassador - added, "I simply find it strange that such a force could cause a peasant to randomly attack their crowned Princess, or one Knight to attack another. But there hasn't been indication given that Hadinaru would seek such aide from us. He seems to have everything well within the scope of his ability and control."

"You are right," Arrik nodded. "This might be a concern, however I don't see it becoming a great issue. What do you think, Risek?"

Risek glanced his eyes over from where he stood close to a cabinet housing glass doors and ornamental plates and mugs, and he considered all that he'd learned that day. Alarun was right, and Hadinaru was capable enough. He also seemed prideful, which could likely lessen the chance he'd even attempt to ask for assistance. With those considerations in mind, he told Arrik his answer.

"I honestly see no reason to throw up any stops."

"Why is that?"

"Well, if this threat was in Althor's Kingdom, our Knights and soldiers would react the same. Hyrule is handling the situation with, in my opinion, the utmost care and logic. It's a desirable trait to have in an ally that they don't panic and run to seek help as soon as trouble knocks at their door."

"Very good, Risek, you've learned diplomacy well," he spoke with a smile at the seemingly emotionless Prince. Nodding his head, raising his goblet to his lips to sip while the sound of the soothing evening storm passed outside of the tall arched windows, Arrik enjoyed the refreshment, nodding over the taste of the Hylian Ale before he settled it back down, leading everyone to think that perhaps the discussion might have been over.

But they were wrong. Arrik brought up something entirely different. Continuing to focus his attention on Risek, he made a request. "Arrik, you've spent the most time with the lad, tell me of this Link fellow."

Risek quirked a single brow, curious as to why Arrik had asked, but he answered the Ambassador anyway. "Honestly, he reminds me a good bit of Marcelle."

"Oh?," Arrik seemed very surprised, turning in his seat to face the Prince instead of simply looking his way. "Marcelle was your best friend, yet I sense no fondness for the Hylian Knight coming from you."

With a softly given sigh, Risek, his arms still settled over his chest, responded, "I don't know him well enough to be fond of him."

"Hmm, I see," Arrik nodded. "Well then, so far, if he reminds you of Marcelle, he can't be bad. As I recall, your friend had a very noble streak in him and a popularity about himself that was somewhat uplifting. I don't recall hearing many bad thoughts about the man. Didn't he also have a somewhat colorful sense of humor as well?"

"That he did. But might I ask why the sudden interest in Link?"

"Well, he's the intended of the Princess. This also raises a point of concern with diplomacy." Arrik sat somewhat casually with an arm draped over the back of his red cushioned, gold framed chair which he leaned against, waving the other hand as he suggested, "Would it be wise, unknowing of Hyrule's future monarchs, for Althor to ally with them when their Princess is set to wed a mere Knight? This is a different story in our land, since nobility, or royalty, isn't meant to be mixed with members of a serfdom. Granted, there might be a special case here, this Knight seems to be a fairly popular lad, a hero to his people, but at the same time, our own could raise question and disagree."

This was the one point of Althor's views that Risek didn't care to share - their traditional values. Risek personally didn't see a problem as far as diplomacy went with Zelda wedding Link, though he knew that for his Kingdom's sakes, he had to look at everything from a political point of view instead of a personal one. Arrik was trying to get him to consider that, this whole conversation more than likely a tool used to teach, and while Risek never minded Arrik's attempts at doing such things, he did feel a bit of reluctance to discuss this issue currently.

But he couldn't just turn and leave, not even suggest he'd rather not discuss it, and so he thought everything over and gave a response. "The current monarchs are still of child bearing years," he began. "They could possibly bear another heir that would take the throne. If this happens, there would be no problem."

"Yes, but you have to consider, Risek, if the royals do have another child, it will be another twenty years or more before that child is capable of proper rule. In the meantime, something could happen as it did before, and the child is left to rule alone. Would Althor, at that point, be available to offer assistance were a child to take the throne?"

"That responsibility would then fall to Zelda, wouldn't it?" Risek didn't ask the question to be answered, but instead had simply stated it as a fact. "Forgive me if I simply can't see how this weighs heavily in matters of diplomacy, especially since it bears no weight on the present state of the Kingdom, or ours."

"I know," Arrik nodded, "and you're right. Something like this shouldn't affect diplomacy. The real weight is bared on the minds of our people now and what they consider to be good for themselves when everything boils down to it. All I'm trying to get at is that things do need to be considered, as much as possible, whether or not it's a current factor."

Arrik had stood up, walking over to Risek with his expression thoughtful, adding the words, "To top this off, the people you associate with can also rub off on you, their ways becoming yours over time, and if we ally with this Kingdom, then our own traditions might change. The Royals might start, well, following example I suppose. This isn't something that should be allowed to pass with sound judgement, is it?"

"That's conservative sounding, even for you," Risek pointed out. "The needs of the people change, my lord, and overtime, if they don't change with those needs, we'll get left behind."

Arrik considered that, giving a single nod before he smiled. "You've made a good point, son. It's a shame you're not actually one of my diplomats. I get the feeling every process would go easier with you about." Turning back to the table where the rest of the Althorians were seated, Arrik walked back over, finishing his thoughts. "Change, as your Prince said, is necessary, but not too fast. Things change overnight and," he turned around, waving a hand as he looked at Risek and thought for the words, "things fall into chaos. Can you disagree with this?"

With a sigh, Risek shook his head, "No, not at all. I understand you simply want our Kingdom to continue upholding values it has stood by for several generations."

"Good," Arrik nodded, seeming pleased that Risek told him so. "So, which this said, I'm suggesting that Princess Zelda is wrong for wanting to wed a Knight instead of another royal, nor am I saying that they would be a bad influence were we to start mirroring their ways, or they ours. Their values differ from our own, and in being diplomats, it is our job to see light from all perspectives, because there is far more than just one. Traditions we hold dear may not be something Hyrule sees in the same perspective. I think, allying with them right now, is a very good idea. In a good deal of time, we may in fact have a commoner sitting on the throne, who knows," he chuckled, and the rest of the diplomats let little laughs of their own.

Arrik, having just lifted his goblet, gave a toast saying, "though it's still a long road ahead for us, here's to keeping with tradition, and slowly changing it to suits the needs of our people."

"Hear, hear," replied the diplomats, sipping from their own drinks before settling them back down. Arrik cleared his throat, adding, "They do know how to brew good ale, don't they?" More chuckling sounded over the suggestion with nodded heads given, but Arrik's smiled suddenly faded a bit as he sensed a good deal of disdain for the topic under discussion coming from the Prince. Turning around to regard him, he sighed and said, "I believe I have upset you somehow."

"No," Risek shook his head, his fist before his chin thoughtfully, glancing his green eyes toward the Ambassador before he finished, "it's not you. I simply need to rest." Turning, Risek gave his Ambassador and at the same time higher ranking Arch Duke a respectfully bowed head, then added, "I'll see you in the morning for breakfast."

"Yes, it's been a trying day for most of us. Rest well, Risek."

"Thank you," he replied, moving to his own chambers and shutting the door behind himself. Arrik shook his head slowly in the Prince's wake and pursed his lips while he took his seat once again.

Alarun, seated next to him, asked, "Do you think he really doesn't care?"

"No, no," Arrik shook his head, "I think he is simply young and still learning what he needs to. Risek always has caught on quickly, but sometimes he's simply stubborn. Don't worry, Alarun, he'll figure out the best path of this all soon enough."

Nodding, Alarun looked at the door, then at Arrik again as they changed the subject. Something always was a bit off about Risek though. They simply hoped it wouldn't effect the positive outcome of this journey.

---

In his room, Risek walked over toward the bed removed his gloves, supposing as he spotted the back of his left hand that he wasn't very close to either Zelda or Link at that moment since his mark of the Triforce was currently absent, so he had nothing to worry about as far as someone seeing it went for now. Pushing that worry away, he reached to remove the pouch around his waist and narrowed a brow when he found an item inside of it. Realization of what the object was dawned on him before he could pull it out, and when he saw the golden compass, his expression softened a good deal to an almost sadly sentimental state.

He remembered the lie he'd told Link and Zelda. He'd said the trinket was for his little brother, but it wasn't. In actuality, it was for someone that he didn't want to admit - as he'd denied to Link - that he'd loved for several years now - Anamirian. The reason for it was that her brother had given her one just like it - save a few minor details - when they were children. She kept it with her always, wore it around her neck on a chain.

She still had the chain as far as Risek knew of, but she'd lost the compass when Marcelle left, having given it to him to help navigate the forbidden slopes of the Endigan Mountains when chasing the trespassers down that had been spotted there, saying there actually had been anyone there where they shouldn't be to begin with. She'd never gotten it back when Marcelle never returned, and Risek thought she might appreciate the gesture.

After looking that compass over, the needle pointing steadily to the left, he put it back into his belt pouch and then disrobed until he was only in his dark blue pants, turning to sit down on the mattress, elbows on his knees, a few scars across his toned back from his days as a sailor when he was a bit younger, up until he was eighteen. Risek had a solid build - firm but not too muscular as some men tended to get - from working so hard on merchant vessels with Marcelle.

His father hadn't completely agreed with Risek serving aboard such a ship - after all, the labor was hard, grueling, and the trips were long. But Risek insisted, and oddly enough, now that he thought about it, Mirian had been the one to stand up for him, suggesting it might broaden his horizons. Risek was grateful to her for that, his days on the sea having done just that for him.

They were boarded by pirates when he was seventeen years old, everyone on board taken hostage, and none of the pirates could know that Risek was the Prince of Althor, otherwise they would have held it over the Kingdom's head for a huge ransom. While in captivity, several pirates came down and took men up to be flogged for information. Apparently the Pirates were after an old artifact that was worth a lot of money, and rumor had it that a Merchant Vessel sailing from Althor carried it.

The truth was, the Siren, which was the name of the ship that Risek sailed on for so long, actually had that artifact, an old vase that belonged to an ancient emperor, and was being returned to it's Empire of origin after being put on display in a museum for a while. Risek was never chosen as one of the men to be flogged because he was younger and stronger, and would likely hold out on the information. But when the Pirates tried to grab an old man who had already grown ill from the state of the cells they'd been kept in for those three days, Risek stopped them, wanting to go in his place.

They nearly refused to take him until he insulted them by saying the only person they would ever be able to beat on would be a weak old man. Of course, the insult made them change their minds, and they drug Risek up to the deck and proceeded to lash him before the other shipmates in a biting cold rain. But the weather proved to be that which saved the day, a ship of the Royal Navy of Althor arriving under the stealth of the foggy mists, and stopping further damage from being done.

The Pirates were taken into custody, and Risek was bedridden for two days with the whelps he'd endured the fierce sting of, not to mention that in the cold rain he'd become a bit ill. Now he carried a few scars along his back, which wasn't something he was ashamed of at all. If anything, he was proud of them, because he'd taken them to help someone else. This aside, he wasn't bent on his appearance anyway. Charlain was the superficial one.

When Risek's days as a merchant sailor were over, he was almost nineteen, and it wasn't until then that he'd realized how much he cared for Mirian. She was fourteen back then, but very mature for her age. Many took her for being around seventeen, which was her age now, and she certainly acted it. Mirian was always offering help to people, in any way that she could, and was already one of the head chambermaids by that age due to growing up in the Palace and knowing a great deal of how everything worked, not to mention at the top of her class, privileged to go to school with noble students due to her father's friendship with Seriun.

The first tip to Risek that he had feelings for her was how she began addressing him when he came back from sailing, always referring to him - even in private - as either my Prince or my Lord, which made Risek wish she would simply call him by his name like she used to. Even Marcelle told her she sounded strange calling him that because they'd known one another all of their lives, but Mirian just chided her brother and informed him that she had to be proper, or she'd set a bad example.

Gabriel was nine or ten at the time, Charlain was fifteen or so, and Risek supposed it might have been due to their influence, or maybe Charlain's snooty mouth, but she never stopped, simply treated him as a servant should treat a royal, and after a while, it began to bug him somehow. He couldn't figure out why he cared, why it mattered to him, until one day when he saw her with her brother during an illness. Marcelle had caught some type of stomach bug, and she was caring for him, holding his head whenever he was too weak to hold it up himself, and telling him the entire time that she'd never tell anyone a girl had to hold his head up, which made the sick Marcelle smile.

Risek began envisioning himself in the same position, and realized that he wouldn't want anyone else caring for him besides Mirian. She was attentive and caring, and could make up stories off of the top of her head to entertain, which was one of the reasons he'd asked her to sit in with his father before he'd come to Hyrule. Her compassion apparently knew no bounds, her nobility despite being a simple servant completely true and loyal, and she took her duties with an air of seriousness that still allowed for a bit of playfulness at the same time.

_She_ was the one he wanted to take as a wife. Turning on the mattress now, laying back and staring up at the ceiling while he thought about it, Risek took in a breath, then closed his eyes. There was nothing wrong with her, nothing at all, but if he even dared to pass a comment her way in front of other people that looked on, and that comment could even pass for being flirtatious or desiring, rumors would spread, and Mirian's name would be tarnished. So he had to utilize control, he had to forget about her, he had to pretend she didn't exist so he could strangle off that love that had began to grow so strongly inside of him.

Then watch her eventually fall for someone else and wed them.

It was completely unfair. It drove Risek insane as well - the thought of someone, perhaps one of the male servants, trying to woo her. This was why he'd hated listening to Arrik speaking that evening, trying to preserve age old traditions that Risek wished didn't exist to begin with. He couldn't promise himself that, if Mirian began to grow attachment to some other man, he wouldn't react very negatively to the circumstance.

Link was completely right. Risek was stuck in a situation he had no control over, and not only that, but he was, in fact, jealous of Link for being able to have something so dear as his love. But it didn't matter anyway, did it? Mirian never paid Risek much mind, only spoke to him when spoken to, and that behavior had only risen since Marcelle's death. Risek had the feeling it was because he served to be a painful reminder to her of her brother. So he let her be, and had only consoled her once when Marcelle never returned to Althor by informing her personally, then taking her shoulders when she became upset, fighting the urge to hold her like he so desperately wanted to while simply asking what he could do for her.

They sat and talked about her brother for a few hours, until she accidentally fell asleep next to him on the sofa in her chambers. So Risek took it upon himself to move her to the bed carefully, and gave her a silent promise of looking out for her in her brother's stead. But soon after, his father began to grow ill, and he ended up spending much less time doing so than he would have liked to.

Risek's eyes opened while he lay there, and he took in his breath slowly. This was the most he'd allowed himself to think about Mirian in several long months now. Most times, when his feelings for her entered his mind, he would chastize himself, deny they were there, and go on with his business. He had no time to allow himself to indulge, not with the burdens upon his shoulders, and he could only imagine that he was doing so now because he had the free time to for once.

Risek rolled onto his side and shut his eyes again, deciding that this was definitely the wrong time to consider such things. Besides, he had to be careful with his feelings. If one of the older Althorians caught wind of his feelings toward a servant, they might rush to try to set up a wedding for him as soon as possible to make him forget about Anamirian all together, and that was a ploy he knew would never work.

Thankfully though, Althorians didn't just sense other's emotions without permission. The only reason Arrik ever did was either during a teaching lesson, or because he knew Risek so well. So Risek felt safe that his affections for the servant in his home would never be discovered.


	24. Promise

_Chapter 24 - Promise_

Zelda had a dream she couldn't ignore. During the night she'd slept lightly, though she was thankful she still felt fairly rested when she awoke in the morning, but she wasn't thinking about that whenever she pushed herself up in the bed amongst her soft velvet lined sheets and silk pillows. Instead, she thought about the dream, wondering if it held significant meaning or not.

In it, she heard the anxious cries of a woman, someone she knew she'd never met before, who was in some kind of peril and she could hear that same woman yelling the name Wolf. Her cries were mixed with a sad weeping, and the sound was coming from Althor, somewhere in the Endigan Mountains. As the dream progressed, Zelda saw a contingency of White Knights riding into those mountains, and not long after, everything went black. From that blackness an army arose, ready to kill all in their way.

It left a sour taste in her mouth to see those visions, and Zelda wondered if they were meant to show her that Althor was currently in more peril than anyone knew, and the worst part was that she'd gotten the sense from the dream that whatever happened in Althor would ultimately effect Hyrule. This rose several questions in her mind, such as the whole effort of diplomacy and whether it should be followed after all.

Somehow though, Zelda knew that if she'd been given this dream, then she had to continue on with those efforts, because there would be no way to render any aide to Althor otherwise. Deciding she would have to keep the dream in mind, she got out of bed and started her day, briefly wondering if perhaps Lindon had finished his sketch or not. After all, she was eager to find out what it looked like and compare it to the ones they'd marked so far to find out who the crest belonged to.

A short while later, Zelda found herself heading outside to one of the enclosed yards surrounding the Palace that possessed a good bit of room with a stone wall surrounding it, as well as a patio where a few tables and chairs were seated. It was the yard that she had been using with Link to train more of her sword play, and when she arrived, she wasn't surprised to see Link already there, holding a sharpening stone which he was drawing against his blade before he would run his finger over afterwards to check the results of his work.

Zelda and Link never used their actual swords, at least, not in any kind of sparring match against one another. So seeing his sword drawn, she wondered if he was going to show her some new techniques that day, or if he was just bored while waiting on her. Carrying her own blade, which was sheathed still, she moved over to him and noticed him glancing back when he heard the footsteps of her shoed feet across the patio.

Zelda had been wearing a pair of leggings for her lessons in the morning so that she could maneuver more easily, so Link wasn't surprised to see her in the light colored garment now, trying not to let his eyes wander too far, otherwise he knew she'd distract him. She already did whenever he tried to teach her the lessons because the leggings hugged her limbs and rounded hips so nicely. It got really bad however whenever she bent over in front of him, and Link sometimes had to squeeze his eyes shut, though not to stop watching her, but just to remember what in the name of Din's might he'd been trying to say or tell her.

"Good morning," she said with a smile on her voice, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "Did you sleep well?"

"I slept alright," he replied, turning to kiss her own cheek affectionately while settling his stone down and then he began using a cloth to polish his work off on his sword. "What about you?"

Watching him, she replied, "I slept somewhat lightly, I was having an odd dream."

"What about?" Link asked that curiously. He continued to polish his blase while he listened as she explained the elements of her dream to him, and the explanation made him draw up a brow, scratching his blonde head of hair while he considered it. White Knights in the mountains that surrounded Althor and some woman yelling the name Wolf? That was strange.

Putting his sword back into it's sheath, he stood up and turned to face her. "Any idea what it means?"

Zelda had crossed her arms against her chest and shook her head no slowly. After a little thought over the question, she sighed her words out softly, "Just that there could be some trouble in Althor, and that it could possibly effect Hyrule if it isn't stopped."

Link took those words in, glancing down while he considered it. "Do you think it might effect Hyrule in that we'll need to aide them sometime?"

"It's possible," she replied, "or it could mean that whatever threatens us also threatens them, which would be the White Knights I saw. So that means whoever they are, they're not friends of Althor either, and I worry that by signing any treaties with them, we might be indirectly putting them on someone's target list."

"Do you think you should warn someone about it?"

It was definitely a legitimate question, but at the same time, there wasn't much to be done for it. "Well, I don't think there's anything to warn about honestly. I don't know how Althor views the perceptions of dreams and if they found out that we didn't want to drag them into harms way because of a dream I had, they might think we're a little crazy."

Link could agree with that. "Sounds like it's up to just us again then, isn't it?"

Zelda couldn't help a smile as he spoke those words, then she remembered something she'd forgotten to mention to him the night before, or hadn't gotten a chance to anyway. "Maybe, but there might be someone else who's a part of it as well. He definitely seems to have some kind of favor with the Goddesses anyway."

Link narrowed a brow in curiosity, wondering if she could have been referring to Risek, which he somehow hoped she wasn't. But surely enough, Zelda explained what he didn't want to hear, "There was something I didn't get a chance to tell you last night. Your mother and I found out what happened to the Triforce of Power."

He looked surprised, and stepped closer to her. "Someone has it?" Then he got a distasteful expression on his face and said, "Risek."

"How did you guess that?," she asked curiously.

"Just call it a hunch."

Zelda lifted a slightly curious eyebrow above her eye, but instead of questioning it at that moment, she simply informed him, "Well, you're right. Apparently, the Goddesses chose to gift the relic to him after we defeated Ganondorf, though I'm unsure why completely. I think it might have to do with the dream I had last night though."

She watched Link turning his head in order to sigh as a thoughtful expression took over his sapphire eyes. It wasn't a look he got often, and it was one of the ones that worried her, dejected and unsure of something. Placing her hand on his arm in concern, she asked, "Are you alright?"

Link was fine, but the mention of Risek wasn't exactly something he wanted to hear to begin with, not to mention the fact that Risek had the Triforce of Power just made it worse. That meant that the three of them were tied together whether he liked it or not. On top of that, the last person who'd possessed that Triforce hadn't used it for any good, and it made Link cringe to think of what someone else from another Kingdom altogether might be able to do with it. Though he did know that the Triforce mirrored what was in someone's soul, and apparently monsters hadn't started overcoming the lands or threatening anyone.

Except for the White Knights.

With the thought, he looked at Zelda and said, "I don't know. Do you think that him having that Triforce half could be what's causing these Knights to show up and make all of these problems?"

Zelda blinked, having honestly not given it that much thought yet. "I'm not sure. I don't see how it could, but I also don't see any arguments against it, as much as I hate to say it. But, he _has_ been trying to help us so far to figure out where they're coming from. I don't know why he'd do that if he was the one causing the trouble."

That was true. Aside from personal quarrels, there was nothing to really suggest that Risek was the one behind all of the White Knights appearing and controlling people. Then Link waved a hand and said, "You're probably right, those riders were spotted before Risek came, and before Hadinaru accepted the invitation to open talks from the Althorians period. Though that doesn't mean Risek couldn't have been up to something beforehand."

"Yes, you're right. But I just don't think he did. I mean, we had to explain most of the concepts of the relic to him yesterday, and he himself said he didn't know he had it until he showed up and spied the mark on his hand one afternoon in the library after I'd left. Even then, he didn't know what the symbol on his hand meant, and kept it a secret because of that uncertainty until he could look into the matter himself."

Link supposed that was enough evidence to prove that he hadn't been tampering with anything before he'd arrived in Hyrule officially. After all, Link and Zelda didn't even know the truth until they'd met again. But talks of Risek at all were irritating to Link, just because of the situation they were in, and deciding they'd just put to rest - for the moment anyway - any suspicions of the Althorian being the one to instigate the events so far, unless it was by a different means altogether, Link told her he wanted to change the subject.

"Well, we'll figure it all out later. I'd rather not talk about him right now," he said, turning to put his chair back under the table and grab the wooden swords that were used for training which he'd placed there earlier when he'd first come out to the yard in order to meet her there for their lesson. "Let's just get started."

Though Zelda wanted to, she couldn't help but give Link an inquisitive look when he said that, tilting her head. Did he _still_ not care for the Althorian Prince at all? "Link, are you okay? You never seem to be too happy whenever Risek is brought up into a conversation, but you've been acting a little strange anyway. You're not still upset that he tried to ask for me, are you?"

"No, it's not that," Link began, walking out into the yard while she followed him.

"Then what is it? I know you don't hate him, but I can tell there's some kind of tension there."

Coming to a stop and turning around, holding the practice weapon out to her, Link had a thoughtful expression on his face while he regarded her, asking, "I was curious if he's said anything to you about me."

That wasn't the full truth, no, but Link also didn't want to just spit out the thoughts that Risek had planted in his head over their marriage without first seeing if he couldn't figure out more. At least then, he'd know beyond a doubt whether or not he had a right to even pay attention to those thoughts and curiosities to begin with.

"No," Zelda replied without hesitation, letting him know that she was telling the truth. "Not at all. Why, has he said something to you?"

If Risek had spoken nothing more, then Link supposed he'd just have to say it outright and hope it didn't lead to anything bad. After all, he couldn't lie to Zelda at all, not a boldfaced lie like that anyway. "Yeah, apparently he doesn't like anything about me."

"What?"

She couldn't help how she sounded when he told her that, and she stepped over to him, wonder and concern in her eyes. Link just held up a hand to stop her from worrying, saying, "That's what he said at first. But I realized he just doesn't like anything about me because I'm so good for you, and it's impeded his duty in a way."

"You mean in asking for me."

"Yes," Link nodded, adding, "but I think there's something else. He denied it when I asked, but I honestly think there's someone he'd in love with that he can't be with, probably because he's a Prince and whoever it is he might have feelings for isn't exactly royalty." With that explanation came the hard part, and Link lowered his hand, adding the words, "Still, he _did_ say a few things that actually got me thinking about us."

Zelda turned and settled her practice weapon down into the grass by the tip before she turned and put her hands on his shoulders and asked, "What kind of things? You don't sound very enthusiastic, and that worries me. If it's something that needs to be discussed, then tell me so we can talk about it."

Link sighed, looking her face over, everything he'd ever come to love settled there in her features, everything he wanted for himself in her eyes and her soul. With those thoughts, he started, "Just about what we are. About our social places unbalancing our marriage because I wouldn't be able to do what I need to where you're concerned as my wife."

"Like what exactly?"

"Taking care of you." Link put his hand on hers while it rested against his shoulder and continued, "I know, between us, there is no Princess or Knight, there's no lesser or greater. But to everyone else, I'm about ten steps below you, and if they say something about it, and they rank higher than I do on this whole...," he paused to try to control his anger, then finally just said, "stupid social scale, then I won't really have a place to say anything to them. Not to mention I can't stand the thought that I might make you look bad."

"Link," Zelda drew out on a whisper, shaking her head slowly up at him. "That won't happen. We've already gotten so many people's blessings."

"But not everyone, and my marriage to you is one thing I do _not_ want to become the talk of the town in that way. As much as I hate to say it, Risek is right, and I _am_ a man who feels the obligation to take care of you, not have you stand up for me whenever our personal decisions are questioned."

Zelda took in her breath while she thought about that, carefully figuring out the right words to say to him while she brushed his hair from his cheek. "But you do take care of me. You always have, even as a child. You were sent from your parents for that reason as well as to protect you, and what you're saying now is all an effort to care for me too. I know there might come some event in which your honor is insulted and being the Knight, you might not be able to properly defend yourself or us, but that doesn't make _me_ feel as if you're any less. Isn't that all that matters? You trust me, don't you?"

"Yes," he nodded, letting out a soft sigh of air through his lips while he looked her face over. "I just hate thinking I'm not worthy of you and that it might do you better to let you go."

Zelda's throat had gone dry when he said that and she'd grabbed him and shook her head, hugging him tightly. "Don't say that, even in passing Link." She felt his arms going around her, and in response, whispered, "Please promise me you won't do that."

Link had a pained expression on his face as he listened to her voice spoken against his chest, hugging her tightly, his head falling forward to rest against the top of hers, and he kissed her hair. "I'm not saying that I want to–"

"Don't say it at all! Just promise me!"

She was crying, couldn't help the need in her voice, because the thought of him leaving her, even for noble reasons, killed her completely. He could hear the tears on her voice in turn, and knowing he'd brought those tears to her eyes, his heart broke, and he gave her the promise without hesitation.

"I promise I won't let you go, Zelda."

"Mira."

A slow, small smile crept onto his lips at her correction, trying to remind him fully exactly who they both were to one another, and he repeated, "Mira. I love you."

"Say it again."

She felt his arms tightening around her, and he whispered against her ear after dipping his head just a bit, "I'll always love you, no matter what happens to us. You're everything to me."

He heard her soft whimper in response to the words, and turned his head to kiss her temple, realizing that this wasn't the lesson he'd planned for that day, but they needed the moment to be together, to talk about this. Quietly, he added the words against her ear, "I'm sorry I made you cry, that's the last thing I ever want to do to you."

Slowly, he reached and lifted her chin, wiping her cheeks with his thumbs before pressing a promising kiss on her lips which she leaned up to return, forgetting everything else around them but him. Slanting his head to the side, they let their tongues brush together, breaking the kiss only for a moment to catch their breaths before returning to it without question.

After several long moments of the affectionate treatment to one another, Link cupped her cheek in his hand before he gently began to break that slow kiss off, tasting her lips in his mouth afterwards with a deep breath of satisfaction before he opened his eyes to peer at her dazed face. He watched her leaning in against him again, her breathing at a moderate pace, but at the same time somewhat labored, and she rubbed her cheek into his chest. Combing her hair with his fingers a few times, Link whispered a few words that he almost wished he didn't have to.

"Zelda, we need to get to work, you know."

"I know," she whispered, "but you scared me."

Link sighed, realizing what he'd said hadn't exactly been pleasant for her to hear, nor had it been for him to say, and he told her, "I'm sorry, love. I just needed to let you know everything that I felt."

Zelda understood that, and she was glad he did, so that she could know what he was thinking, instead of being kept in the dark over it until one day it all just came out in a bad way, saying that ever happened. "It's alright," she replied softly, looking up at him from the hug she'd been giving him finally. "I was just worried you might have actually considered it."

"No," he shook his head, "even if I think there's some way that it might be better for you, I haven't considered it, because I know how much you love me, and how much I wouldn't be able to function without you either."

"Well, good," she drew out, then smiled up at him, threading her fingers through his as she stepped back. "Because I would want you to hurt if you left me."

"Guess I'm stuck then," he smiled, watching her reaching for the wooden sword before she lifted it from where she'd settled it beforehand with it's tip in the dirt.

With a smile, she turned the tip of it toward him and nodded, giving him a playfully threatening face while she informed him, "You are."

He'd started chuckling over the playful banter that had resulted from their serious discussion - a facet of their discussions that he hoped never changed - taking his own sword up into his hand and asking with the same type of jesting threat, "Am I?"

Before they could continue with the little spar they were going to hold between one another, they heard someone clearing their throat and both of them glanced over to see Impa standing there with her arms folded behind her back, her face belaying the notion to them that she'd probably heard everything, and she asked, "Link, what method of swordplay is this?"

In her own way, it was Impa's means of telling a joke, and Link, with a smirk on his face, informed her, "The kind where you make demands to be settled," and gave her a sage nod of his head.

Impa's soft chuckle sounded barely audibly before she made a little smile and replied, "I see. Well, as much as I hate to interrupt this important lesson, I wanted to let you know that Lindon's finished the drawing, and he wanted you to come down to get it so he could explain a few things to you about the image."

"Oh," Link drew out, having almost forgotten about the picture Lindon was supposed to draw for them, looking over at Zelda, and then back at Impa again. "Good, then I guess I'll go ahead and get it."

"I want to come," Zelda told him, "is that fine?"

The request made Link lift a brow, and he glanced over at her, looking down at the pants she wore. He wasn't too sure taking the Princess into a dungeon dressed like that would be entirely appropriate, even if Lindon was held on a block where there weren't any other inmates currently. At least, not truly threatening ones.

"I don't know, Zelda, you're wearing..."

Zelda looked down and then back at him with a raised brow, "So? Impa wears leggings all of the time."

"I know, but...," Link trailed and glanced at Impa, then stepped over to Zelda and said quietly, "Arden doesn't like her being in the dungeons either because of that."

Impa's brow raised, having heard the words despite Link's whispering. "He doesn't? He's never complained before."

Link cringed, "You weren't supposed to hear that."

Impa had lifted an inquisitive brow but she didn't say more, simply letting the two of them have their discussion, though she was fairly amused over the whole situation.

"Link, what's wrong with them?," Zelda asked, apparently confused. "You're wearing leggings."

Impa already knew what he was going to say, but she decided to let him explain it, and just stayed quiet. Link hadn't expected her to intervene anyway, and he rubbed the back of his neck as he told her, "I'm a man, Zelda. Men don't," he glanced toward Impa, then rolled his eyes, "look at other men's...you know."

He couldn't say it in front of Impa, mostly due to the fact that she was so refined and reserved most times, but thankfully Zelda wasn't slow, and she picked up on what he was talking about. He didn't want anyone staring at her backside in the shapely leggings she was wearing. She couldn't help but think it was cute that he was being possessive in that way, and she waved a hand at him, saying, "You don't look."

Link lifted a brow at her. In seeing the expression on his face, Zelda's own got a little flat, and she asked him in addition to her statement, "Do you?"

"Heh," Link drew out, still rubbing the back of his head still while glancing at Impa, and then over at Zelda's sword settled on the table which was the perfect distraction. Stepping over to it, he grabbed it and handed to her. "Take this, let's go get the drawing."

Zelda took the sword while staring at him, supposing he had looked, and from the way he was ducking the question - which she knew was because of Impa's presence - he'd probably done it on several occasions. The thought made her blush a little, but instead of going further into the subject in front of her mentor, she headed toward Impa and held the weapon out to her, asking a favor of her.

"Could you have this returned to my room? I don't want anything to happen to it and I'm very curious to see this drawing."

"Of course, my lady," Impa nodded on reply, hiding the smirk she felt like making over the conversation she'd just been privy to between them while taking the weapon to do as had been asked of her. But she withheld that urge, at least until she was alone again. "I'm going to go inform your parents as well. Both of your parents, I mean. Arden just gave me the news so they don't know yet."

"Good, tell them we'll see them soon with it." Link asked politely, giving her a thankful nod.

"That I will," Impa told Link as she walked off behind them, taking a different path than they had. Once she'd started heading down the hallway, Zelda looked over at Link and asked him her question again.

"So, do you?"

"Zelda, I'm a man," he replied, still going.

"So?"

Link couldn't help a little smirk as they went, her curiosity somehow amusing to him. "So that's a yes, all of the time. One of the reasons I show up to lessons early is in the hopes that you might get there early too so I can see more of you in them."

"Oh my."

Hearing that softly made exclamation, Link looked over at her to see her blushing but she also had a flattered little smile on her face. The expression made him grin, and he asked her, "What are you smiling about? You look embarrassed."

"I am," she said, holding her fingers before her mouth in a manner that suggested as much even though the blush already did when she looked up at him. "I didn't think you looked that much."

With a shrugged shoulder, Link looked ahead and added, "Just because I behave myself doesn't mean I'm not looking and thinking."

Even further surprise. Zelda stared at him somewhat wide eyed, lowering her hand before she asked, "Thinking about what?"

She thought she might have had an idea, but she wanted to be sure, and Link confirmed it for her. "About what you look like without the leggings."

Zelda wished she hadn't asked, the blush on her face growing by leaps and bounds. But she had a thought over those words which caused her to suddenly stop in her tracks. After all, whether or not there were many inmates in the dungeons just then, she wasn't completely comfortable anymore with the thought that someone else might've looked and done the same thing. "Wait!"

"What?," he asked, turning around to face her when she stopped so suddenly.

"I...," she drew out, having considered that he was probably right about going into the dungeons dressed as she was now. But she didn't want to _say_ he was right, so instead, she simply told him, "Now that I've heard this, I do want to change, so let's do that first instead."

Link gave her a lifted brow, knowing that was her way of saying he was right, and normally he might've made her say so first, but he was too relieved that she wanted to change to argue with her. After all, he didn't want anyone else looking at her the way he did, and so he nodded and began to walk in the opposite direction. He'd just have to remember the point for later if they ever got into an argument about something similar.

Turning with him, Zelda asked while they went, "Do you really think about that a lot?"

Unable to help himself, he told her the truth, though he did have a sheepish grin on his face about it. "You have no idea."

---

_**A/N**__: And with that note, I'm back! Finally! It only took like three weeks...x.x LoL xD!_


	25. Eavesdropping

_Chapter 25 - Eavesdropping_

The locked, gated door that led into the dungeon clinked when the guard turned the keys, then squeaked when he pushed it open. Arden stepped into the prison first, Link and Zelda coming in behind him, walking through the stone walled corridor, their shoes hitting against the same type of floor with soft thuds as they went.

Zelda had changed into a dress that Link decided was better than the leggings, but at the same time, annoyed him because somehow, the garment was just too elegantly beautiful. It was white with lilac colored patters and the same color of gloves, a crisscrossed tie along the front and back of the bodice, and to further the attractiveness of the dress, it was worn off of the shoulder.

Link had stared at her slender shoulders - and her cleavage - for quite a few moments when she'd emerged in the outfit, noticing that she was wearing the amulet he'd given her for her birthday, thinking to himself that it gave him an excuse to look if she'd asked about it. She'd tied her hair into a roll at the nape of her neck with two tendrils hanging down before her ears as well, which was how she'd worn it to the lesson to begin with, but did little to take away from noticing her attributes. Link guessed that, in that case, he just couldn't win.

It was when he saw her that he decided she could have changed into a potato sack and she would have still looked too attractive for her own good, so he didn't say anything about the dress and just went with her to the dungeons. Once they arrived, he knew he'd just have to - saying anyone had been jailed since the evening beforehand - get rough if someone had anything to say about it. Besides, it was definitely better than the leggings.

Walking through the corridors, Link narrowed his brows over a sound coming from further into the dungeon in one of the cells, which sounded like someone laughing loudly followed by muttering incoherently. The noise echoed through the chamber and as they drew closer to a cell, Arden, who was just ahead of them, sighed and kicked the bars.

The sound immediately stopped with a startled yell from the man in the prison, and Arden told him, "Hey, knock it off, or I'll give you a new room to stay in with some of the bigger inmates."

There was a man inside, which Link and Zelda could see as they drew closer to the cell, who was fairly dirty and wrapped in nothing but a white sheet. He looked pretty crazy, his black hair wild and unkempt, not to mention the mangy beard he sported. But he had drawn up and gotten quiet in the face of Arden's serious, angry tone of voice. Considering Arden was probably five times bigger than he was, the man was well within his rights to as well.

"Who is this?" Link asked, motioning to the cell before looking up at Arden.

Arden shrugged his shoulders as if he had no idea. "We caught him this morning running around Hyrule Market claiming to be invincible. We had no choice but to bring him here because he was completely nude. When we asked who he was, all he said was King Hadinaru, so we have no idea where he came from. He's pretty harmless though, he's just really loud."

The both of them were wide eyed, and the man suddenly stood up straight and yelled, "I _am_ King Hadinaru!"

Giving Zelda a glance, Link looked back at the apparently crazy individual, and said, "Oh yeah? Then spell it."

"H!," he started with a yell and a single finger pointed upwards before he got a confused look on his face, "a...?" He then lowered his hand while they began to walk on to Lindon's cell, shaking their heads slowly. As they went, they could hear the inmate going on with the despaired words 'I can't spell my name!', and Link scratched his head with a sigh of slight irritation over it.

Zelda wasn't sure what to think herself, but didn't consider it for the time being as she came to a stop with Link and Arden. Looking down into the cell at the floor, she saw the same old farmer sitting there who'd attacked her the day before, leaning his back against the wall with his hat on his head and a piece of paper in his lap, his hat tilted forward as a snore sounded.

Link stepped over to the bars and knelt down, reached into the cell to shake him awake gently. "Lindon, how can you sleep with that guy yelling down there like that?"

Lindon snorted as he was roused from his slumber, and he cleared his throat and lifted his hat. Peering up to see Link, he smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "You've never met Juney."

"Your wife?"

With a nod of his head, Lindon chuckled out, "She used to always yell at the kids when I was trying to take a nap. Eventually I learned to just sleep through it. Compared to her, that guy's just a novice."

Link smiled over the explanation, unable to help but ask, "You have kids?"

Shaking his head, Lindon replied, "Not anymore. They," he trailed off, then waved his hand, "were killed when Ganondorf was on the throne."

Well that wasn't a nice story. Glancing down, Link pursed his lips and said, "I'm sorry, Lindon."

"It's fine, this was a little over ten years ago." Finally, he looked over at Link with a little smile, but that smile faded when he glanced up to see Zelda. She looked saddened over what he'd just told them, but Lindon was too stunned to see her to really notice it. "Oh, Your Majesty, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you standing there. Where are my manners," he went on and pulled his hat off of his head, turning a bit as if he were going to get up.

"It's alright, Lindon," Zelda replied and held her hand up to stop him with a sweet smile on her face despite the attack the man had made on her the day before. She knew it wasn't actually him, and that he'd had no control over his actions. "I'm pleased to meet you finally. You don't need to get up."

"I...I uh...yes, ma'am, the pleasure's all mine." He couldn't help but stammer out his words, especially in the face of her beauty alone, adding, "I'm so sorry for what I did yesterday! Please forgive me, my actions weren't my own."

Zelda had moved next to Link, kneeling down as he was, and she shook her head, "No, don't apologize. It wasn't your fault. I asked my Father yesterday if, since you've been so kind to help us, we could compensate you for your time here. He agreed that it was a good idea, once we're certain all is safe. But you've yet to raise a hand to me again or gotten offensive since I've been here so far, so I don't see why you should be kept here much longer."

Lindon wasn't sure what to say to that kindness, stammering once more without being able to help himself, "I...uh...thank you, my Princess, that is far too kind. Oh!," he suddenly remembered the picture he'd drawn for them, and he reached for it. "Sorry, I forgot all about it for a moment. I finished it about an hour ago before I took my little nap," he chuckled softly. "It's somewhat crude because the light was bad when I first started, so your commander brought me another candle, and it helped a good deal."

Link took the sketch Lindon handed to him, and he was first of all impressed that Lindon actually could draw that well. If it had just been random artwork, and Lindon's hands didn't ache when he drew, Link would have suggested the man go into the career of an artist for a living. The picture was finely detailed, and both Link and Zelda took in the image quietly. On the page were three crests, all different sizes, and Lindon went on with his explanation while they looked at it.

"The biggest one in the center is the one you should pay attention to. I had to draw it a few times before I could remember correctly. Uh, the colors were silver and a dark blue on the right half of the shield, and the sword was blue as well. The dragon was completely silver, and it might look a little different from the real thing, but that's how I remember it. Also, I think there might have been a few other marks here and there, but I can't be too sure completely. Oh, and that empty ribbon at the bottom had foreign words written in it. No idea what it said or what the symbols for the letters looked like though, so I just didn't draw them. But it definitely wasn't Hylian."

Zelda paid close attention to the marks, the penmanship, trying to match it up to crests she'd seen in the books she'd looked through, but none of them were ringing any bells for her. Link looked over at her and asked, "Anything?"

"No," she shook her head, "we'll have to take it to the library to compare them. I haven't seen anything like it so far though."

Lindon listened to them, and he leaned forward a bit and asked them both softly, "Do you know anything more about these Knights now?"

Link nodded in response to the farmer's question, "You're not the only one who's attacked without wanting to. I was attacked by my friend yesterday. He's here, but much further down the hallway. So we know that whoever these Knights are, they don't mean anyone any good."

"That's what I thought," Lindon nodded. "I hope you can take care of the problem before someone really gets hurt."

"So do I, Lindon," Link replied, then he handed the picture to Zelda when she requested it, allowing her to roll it up neatly. "I'll take this to the Library with her alright, and we'll let you know if we find anything."

The old man smiled and bowed his head forward, holding his hat in his hand. "You're both too kind to an old man like me."

Zelda smiled at him as she stood up, and Lindon thought that smile alone could probably break hearts. As she rose, she told him, "Rest well for now, Lindon. We'll be back later," and then turned to walk off, Link standing to go with her.

But before he could go anywhere, Lindon grabbed his hand. When he looked down, Lindon motioned with his head, and once Link had knelt again, Lindon asked him, "Could I have another piece of paper? I'd like to draw a decent picture of her."

The comment put a slowly formed grin on Link's face, getting an idea that he presented to the farmer. "I'll pay you if you draw one for me too."

Grinning back at him, Lindon replied, "It's a deal, but payment isn't necessary."

"We'll see," Link chuckled before he stood up and told the farmer his goodbye for now.

Zelda was far enough ahead that the crazy man down the corridor yelled when she passed him "Harold! I'll name myself Harold! H-A-R-E-L-D!"

Link decided not to correct the man, and instead, just told him, "Have a good day, Harold!," as he moved past to catch up with his fiancee, leaving the crazy inmate to call behind them both 'Good eve, my friends, you have a lovely daughter!'

---

A pleasant humming was heard while the tray of food was prepared to be taken to King Seriun. The kitchens were nice and quiet that day, no one in the Palace presently except the servants and the Princess due to the students being taken out with the teachers on a scavenger hunt which would more than likely prove to be quite amusing for them. Lukas, Charlain's husband, was out on business, and his brother, Gerild, was with her working on a few affairs Mirian hadn't been privy to, but she was happy for the quiet time.

Mirian found herself in good spirits while she prepared the King's lunch. He'd been doing better, and her only regret was that his son wasn't there to see him, actually getting out of bed with help to sit in a comfortable chair before the window from time to time. He'd been acting much more like himself lately as well, and Mirian was very happy for it.

She'd made his favorite food that day because she knew the King hadn't felt like eating much more than simple meals such as soups in over a month now. So she'd prepared him a fruit salad to compliment the main course of a toasted piece of flatbread with a little melted cheese and baked Salt Fish on top which she wrapped up so it would be easier to eat. The dish was just called a Salt Fish Roll, and while it could be dipped in sauces, Mirian didn't want Seriun to eat too much, afraid he wouldn't be able to handle it.

Finishing with the salad now, Mirian looked down when she saw a single berry falling from the bowl after she'd removed her hands, the purple fruit descending down onto the floor where it bounced and then rolled under a table beyond the clothe covering the furniture where she couldn't see it. Rolling her golden eyes upwards, Mirian - who didn't like to leave things behind to be done later when she could do it right then - leaned down to lift the cloth and find the berry before someone accidentally squished it and made even more of a mess.

After casting her gaze about, finally Mirian spotted the berry, which had rolled across the floor and to the other side of the table which was settled against the wall. Sighing, she got down onto her knees, then pushed herself beneath the furniture so she wouldn't have to move the heavy object in order to find it without crawling. Why wasn't anything ever easy?

Wondering that to herself, she disappeared under the table when the doors to the kitchen opened and Charlain entered the once quiet room. Seeing no one about, Charlain looked back and let Gerild in, her brother-in-law. Mirian stopped moving when she heard the voices, unmoving at first just because she thought it would definitely seem strange to the gossiping Princess to see the servant hiding under the table, but then the words she spoke kept her in her place.

"Gerild, you know better than that," Charlain waved her hand. "Risek isn't here, the monarchy is steady under Lukas's care, and we have a good deal of information at our disposal now."

"Charlain, just shut your mouth for five seconds," Gerild said softly with a roll of his blue eyes. "Lukas has a good hold on the affairs, and yes, we have more information, but we can't let that disillusion us into overconfidence. He needs to be given more."

Mirian could hear Charlain sigh somewhat indignantly, followed by the reply, "Well, I'm starting to run out, so do you think you could maybe help just a slight bit with that, Sir Helpful?"

Gerild groaned, rubbing his blonde head of hair before walking away from the table where Mirian could see the both of their feet and he headed to the door. "Fine, Charlain, but there'll be payment due for it. You know it's not easy to come by."

"I'll have your measly little payment, dear brother-in-law. You really shouldn't be complaining. After all, you're the one who wants it done so badly. I just happen to know how to use it correctly."

Charlain watched the clean cut blonde haired man rolling his eyes and leaving the room, walking through the door and letting it shut behind him. With a sigh, she turned and leaned up against the table, thinking about what they'd just been speaking of with a grumble of annoyance. Looking down during her silent thought, she stopped thinking about it for a moment when she saw the tray of food for her father, and Mirian watched quietly while the Princess continued to stand there.

"Where is that lazy servant?," Charlain suddenly muttered out, turning to leave the room, and in seeing this, the hidden servant sighed, relieved to know that Charlain hadn't spotted her under the table somehow. But she needed to get out of there as soon as possible, and without letting anyone know she'd heard that conversation, no matter what it had been about.

"Lazy," she muttered out as she pushed herself from beneath the furniture. Once she'd gotten herself properly settled, she lifted her skirt and stood up, adding the words as she went, "If anyone would know lazy, it would be Charlain." Shaking her head, Mirian went to throw away the berry, and then took the tray into her hands and walked to the door, pushing it open slowly and peering out and down the corridor.

No one was there in one direction, nor in the other, so Mirian hurried out of the kitchens quickly and down the hallway. Once she was certain that Charlain wasn't going to stop her and play a game of a million questions over where she'd been, she could then consider the words she'd heard spoken. Walking up the steps to head to the King's Chamber, she started with wondering what they needed more of, and for who?

Were the words she'd heard indicative of something specific, or just more political talk amongst the royals and nobles about the current running of the Kingdom? With a sigh, Mirian wished she could answer that. Maybe if she was as on top of gossip as Charlain was, she could guess at it, but she really had no clue what they could have been talking about.

But Mirian didn't like Lukas, not as a Steward anyway, and much less did she like Gerild, as a person all around. Both of them were rude and snotty, so Mirian could only imagine they were right up Charlain's alley as far as personality went, but she knew they weren't what the Kingdom needed at that point in time. Though Lukas was fairly rational in his judgement, and much more down to Earth than his wife and his brother and was able to make good decisions for the Kingdom, he was still not as good as Risek or Seriun.

She hoped the diplomatic function in Hyrule ended soon and went well. She wanted Risek to come back, though she wished he didn't have to shoulder so much when he did. Still, they would be better off under him than under Lukas, she thought. Though, she did half wonder if, with Lukas being the somewhat high and mighty type in a way, even if he actually had a nice side like his father when it didn't come to being a leader, if he would refute giving Risek power back, capable of doing so because he was a Grand Duke.

It made Mirian worry. Moving through the corridor and to the King's Chamber, she sighed over the thought, but put a smile on her face to greet her King as she walked into the room for his peace of mind.

"Little Mirian," Seriun smiled, settled on the bed comfortably with a copy of the Gazette in his hands. "How has the day been for you so far?"

"Good," she nodded, carrying the tray over to the bed where she settled it. "I made you something special since you've said you would like more of a hearty meal. Salt Fish Roll."

"Oh, delightful, young lady. You know my favorites." He watched her smiling brightly at him, and he folded up the newspaper he held, handing it over to her. Once he had, he added the words, "Who writes that Gazette these days anyway?"

"Oh, a few people. If I'm not mistaken, most of them are nobility from Lelklin."

"Lelklin? No wonder. That province is full of blue bloods with nothing more than time to consider their pockets on their hands. Hmm, we'll have to see about putting some new writers in the guild once time permits."

"I like to write," Mirian informed him casually as she settled his tray over his lap for him, smiling over the comment he'd made.

"I wouldn't doubt that with those stories you make up. But can you write non-fiction, young lady?"

Mirian watched him start coughing after he'd said the words, but the cough was a light one and cleared up in no time. Smiling, Mirian nodded, "I'm no reporter sadly, but I would like to think I could do non-fiction just fine if I had the proper information."

Of course, she thought to herself, she did apparently hear things she may not have been supposed to. If she wasn't a reporter, then she apparently made a pretty good spy, she thought to herself. But nonetheless, she watched her King smiling as he handled his dish, and took a bite of the wrap, saving the fruit salad for last. He made a little moan of enjoyment over the taste of the food, and gave her his praise.

"You know, little Mirian, I must admit to you, I miss my son's company in the evening, but I am glad that he asked you to take his place while he's gone. I haven't spent much time with you recently, but I've enjoyed our talks quite nicely." Smiling at her, seeing her modest blush, since Mirian was a lady who could have epitomized the meaning of the word modest, he chuckled softly and asked her, "So tell me while I enjoy this meal, how do you think the diplomacy could be going?"

"Well," Mirian said honestly. "I don't know why, but I just have a good feeling it's going fine."

Something about the comment made Seriun smile, and Mirian pulled up her chair to sit in it while he made the expression, then told her once she was settled, "I think I'll start asking your opinion more often then. At least you seem optimistic where some people I know only give me facts and then try to summarize them."

Mirian started snickering softly, covering her mouth with her hand. In hearing her mirth, Seriun chewed a bite of his food and asked, "Whatever is so funny, my dear?"

Clearing her throat, she shook her head as she explained, "Nothing, I just remembered something I heard Prince Risek saying after you became ill. I was cleaning in the study when he asked an advisor about some matter I don't recall. You're right about the response, because I remember the Prince telling him that if he'd wanted facts summarized, he could have gotten a book on the matter out of the library."

Seriun was smiling over her tale which had proved him right, and he couldn't help but to nod his head. "It seems we may need new ones, I believe. If I could, I would abduct the Lady Myriad from Hyrule," he smirked.

"Lady Myriad?"

"An advisor on King Hadinaru's court. She's been one for years and years, and Hadinaru always had good things to speak of over her." Following the words, Seriun made a cough that was worse than before, and Mirian grabbed a clothe for him, which he took and held over his mouth.

"Are you alright?" Mirian asked with concern in her voice.

"I am," he breathed out heavily, coughing again. Once the fit was finally over, and he could catch his breath, he added, "I just need to rest once I'm done with this dish you've made me."

Mirian smiled, nodding her head at the King. "I see. I just hope you continue to grow well. Your son will be happy to return to find you in such a state."

Seriun had a little smile, chewing a piece of melon in his mouth. They continued speaking about these types of things while he ate, and when he was done and ready to get a little rest, Mirian cleaned up the tray and began to take it back to the kitchens to be cleaned. As she went, her mind kept returning to what she'd heard from Gerild and Charlain in the kitchens. She almost wanted to go speak with Lukas, but she figured it would be best to wait and see if anything odd started happening. Besides, she didn't specifically want to speak with Lukas at all if she could help it. Once again, she wished Risek were about, just because he was, aside from the King whom she wouldn't bother with such a thing, the only one she truly trusted.

She couldn't shake the feeling though that what she'd heard wasn't any good at all.


	26. White Knights

_Chapter 26 - White Knights_

Zelda turned the page with one hand while holding the picture Lindon had drawn with the other, Link leaning against the back of her chair as they went through the images in the book. Myriad was indisposed at the particular time, but was coming to head there as soon as she got a chance to so that she could see if she'd found anything in her own personal research that matched what the farmer had drawn for them to research.

While they turned the pages, Link pointed out a few symbols, but there was always something that made them too different to be a close match. A good half hour of this searching passed by them while they browsed until the door opened with a quiet squeak.

Looking up, they spotted Risek entering the room, and Link couldn't say he was pleased over it, nor could Risek say he was happy to see Link there instead of Myriad as he'd expected, though Zelda seemed to be simply pleased due to the fact that she knew he'd be able to help. Walking over toward their table, he stopped at one of the chairs in order to speak to them.

"The farmer finished the picture?"

"Yes," Zelda nodded, handing it to Risek, "this is it. He said the smaller ones were practice so he could get a proper picture in his head, and the large one in the center is the one we need to focus on."

Risek took the page and looked the crest over. Link and Zelda both watched his face to see what he might come up with, and his response was indeed telling, if not a little surprising. Slowly, his lips parted, his face becoming surprised and at the same time dejected as he sighed out a long breath. With the paper in hand, he turned and walked away from them a few steps while staring at the image upon it quietly and considerately.

Link stood up straight from Zelda's chair, and as he walked around it and toward the Prince, he asked Risek, "What is it? You know that crest?"

Risek took only another moment to stare at it before he let his hands fall to his sides. With a slow nod of his head, he replied, "I do, but you won't find it in any of those books."

Zelda stood up from her chair and turned to face him, standing next to Link as she gave an inquisitive look. "Whom does it belong to then?"

Risek turned around so he could look at the both of them when he gave his answer, but as he opened his mouth, the door to the Library once more squeaked, drawing the three's attention. Myriad came in with Impa just behind her, who had promised to also help look, and they both glanced up to see the three of them standing there.

"I'm sorry I was delayed, and Impa said she'd help search." She stopped herself from saying more upon seeing the looks on their faces, and with a lifted brow, she asked, "Did you find something without me?"

"Yes," Zelda nodded, "Risek knows who the crest belongs to and he was just about to tell us."

"I see," Myriad replied, stepping over to the table where the books were stacked with Impa, adding, "then please, go on, Risek."

Risek sighed in a breath, and looking at the four of them, he finally moved to walk to a chair and pull it out, deciding it was going to be a long conversation. In seeing his movement, Link and Zelda both decided to sit as well, and everyone followed suit. Once settled around the table, Risek placed the crest in the center and finally began to explain.

"There should be a line of text in that ribbon that says words in an ancient tongue that is no longer actively spoken." He pronounced the words for them, and grew quiet for a moment.

Before he could explain what the foreign words meant, Zelda translated for him, "The White Knights of Alnaric?"

Risek looked over at Zelda, his brows narrowed in confusion, and he asked, "How do you know that?"

"The Triforce of Wisdom," she explained. "I'm apparently fluent in all languages, still spoken or not."

"Hmm," Risek drew out aloud, then he looked at everyone else before casting his gaze down again, "She's right. Alnaric is the name of the Ancient Kingdom. Translated into contemporary speak, they would be called The White Knights of Althor."

Link couldn't help his blank, yet surprised stare. Zelda had already picked up on as much though, surprised that, apparently, these Knights hailed from the very Kingdom that Hyrule was allying itself with. Impa and Myriad, on the other hand, weren't showing their thoughts on their faces, and instead, just exchanged a glance between one another. When they did, Myriad looked over and told Risek, "I've heard that name before, but please, continue."

"Very well," Risek nodded. "I was afraid this might be the image Lindon would draw. By Royal law in Althor, I should take this paper and burn it. That is an outlawed crest, meant to be stricken from texts and from the memories of people forever. Only the royal family of Althor has the last remaining coat of arms in existence, kept in secret from all of its people, and they only show it to the members of that family, to remind them of the atrocities they'd performed in the Ancient Kingdom, so they would never commit them again."

"Ancient Kingdom?" Link asked. "You mean Althor, don't you?"

"Somewhat," Risek replied, glancing over at him before he continued. "Althor has two histories, it's current history as Althor, and that of the Ancient Kingdom, called Alnaric, which resided in the Endigan Mountains. Have you ever heard the popular tales of the Dragon named Boemith?"

Link and Zelda were a bit surprised over the mention of the stories, and Link replied, "Yes. Zelda and I heard them as children growing up. We looked them up again about a month ago, but we've never had a change to get back to reading them much since then."

Nodding, Risek went on as he looked back at the crest drawn onto the paper. "The reason I ask is because it seems to be the most popular tale of what could have happened. Alnaric was destroyed completely, and the survivors of the destruction migrated east to the sea where they renamed their Kingdom Althor and continued on there. The reason Alnaric was destroyed, however, remains speculated upon, but the story that most people know is the one that revolves around the Dragon."

Link looked over at his mother when Risek said this, and she looked as if she believed the words the Prince spoke - not that Link thought he was lying - simply waiting for the conversation to continue. Risek had grown quiet for a moment, seeming to gather his thoughts about the matter, and Zelda asked, "What happened with the Dragon?"

Sitting back, Risek told her, "He was known for being the last surviving Dragon, and defending mankind in the face of adversity to his own race, a path which a close friend of his named Effilius the White also took up the torch for. Boemith and Effilius were content to protect Alnaric, and when Boemith went into his first hibernation, Effilius began to search out the most noble of souls to form a contingency of men to which he would grant a portion of his power in the form of a white dragon scale. Those men would be the White Knights, bound to protect both the Kingdom and Boemith until he awoke, and then to protect Effilius when he slept, upholding the laws and justice for mortal men in the meantime under the teachings of the Goddesses. They were holy warriors in a sense I suppose."

They listened carefully to Risek's tale, taking the words in, and somehow found it interesting aside from informative all at the same time. Risek went on after a moment of silence, saying, "The White Knights are just referred to as Dragon Warriors in most texts, only by their true name in a few, and they served to protect the Ancient Kingdom for a long time, a _very_ long time in fact."

"So what happened to them?," Link asked curiously.

Risek shook his head, "I'm not sure completely, it's been a long time since I've heard the tales. They eventually became corrupt, but I can't remember if there was a specific reason or not, and I'm not very good at telling stories anyway. If I had my father's tomes, I could look it up again."

"That doesn't matter Risek," Myriad started, "I remember this story well now that I've heard the name Alnaric again. With your permission, I can take over."

"Please do," Risek agreed, folding his arms together across his chest. "I'm sure you could tell it better than I could."

Myriad smiled a bit, then she took in a breath, starting with the words, "I thought I saw one of these riders at Zelda's birthday party, and ever since, I'd contemplated these terms. When I heard the words White Knights, I tried to think of what I could, but this story didn't particularly stand out for me. There are many groups of White Knights in the world after all, even a few in Hyrule's history, and I would have remembered the tale before now if I'd known of that crest and had remembered the name Alnaric. Impa, you know this tale too, don't you?"

"I do," Impa nodded, looking at Link, Zelda, and then Risek. "You're right, Prince Risek, they began to crave more power than they'd been allotted by Effilius the White, and became so devout to the Goddesses that they did more harm than good."

Myriad, with a nod, added to the story, "Their belief that they were the chosen divine became full of Pride, not one speck of sin could tarnish a mortals soul against the Goddesses, otherwise that person lived in fear of their retribution. As you can imagine, the world became full of sin and vice in their eyes, and they were in need of more power to cleanse it. So they used the White Scale, which granted them what power they did have, to, instead of protect Effilius, drain him while he slumbered, until eventual death it was rumored. After all, their quest, as they saw it, was handed to them directly from the Goddess Nayru, as Effilius the White was one of logic and reason, her very signature."

To Link and Zelda both, that sounded horrible. Devout worship was fine, but to be so devout that anything anyone else did became sinful was simply madness. But Zelda found herself curious about a second issue, asking, "So the Dragons have different creators?"

"Yes," Impa nodded to Zelda's question, "According to legend, the three types of Dragons coincided with their Goddesses. White and Blue follow Nayru, Green and Gold belong to Farore, and Red and Black are of Din's flock. Each, of course, had their different strengths."

Link looked to the side while thinking this over, unable to help but shake his head in disgust, saying, "But they just drained Effilius dry even though he created them?"

"Well, power corrupts," Impa retorted, "and I can only imagine that this power went to their heads completely in this sense. They more than likely viewed their actions as," she thought for the words with a wave of her hand, "the lesser of two evils."

The descriptions and explanations made a good bit of sense. After all, some people did jump at the chance for power, and then go overboard with it, finding outrageous ways and excuses to justify themselves. All Link had to think of was Ganondorf in order to prove that. He had the Triforce of Power, and apparently that was enough of a reason for him to become a murdering tyrant. So when Link thought of that, it didn't seem so strange that these supposed holy warriors would commit such an act themselves.

But Myriad continued with her explanation, no lack of intrigue in her voice as she spoke, "As you can imagine, once Boemith awoke to find that his friend had been drained of all power, he became furious and muted that power of the White Knights in the hope that they would see the error of their ways, using his red scale to do so."

Link looked down with a soft sigh of breath as he knew what was coming. So waving a hand, he asked, "Let me guess, they never did though, did they?"

"Oh no," Myriad shook her head, "there are no interesting plot turns here. Though, for a while they behaved under the watchful eye of Boemith, allowed to keep the white scale that they had been gifted with, and once more they returned to serving their duties properly. In the meanwhile, Boemith gave the red scale he used to control them to his Dragon Master, a figure he'd already established during his long lifetime, which would be passed on from generation to generation in order to help see to it that the White Knights never tried to return to their former state while Boemith entered into his second slumber."

"During this second hibernation, the descendants of the Dragon Master, blessed with Boemith's gift of strength and power through his red scale, found themselves pitted against the once more growing threat of the White Knights who began to return to their former ways, and eventually, enlisted the help of a foreigner to aide assistance in stopping them again, known only as the Hero of Light."

Zelda, Impa, and Myriad all cast their gazes at Link, the pieces of the story falling together somehow. As they did, Link laid his forehead on the table and he muttered out from against his arm, "Don't look at me like that."

Risek narrowed a brow in curiosity over the matter, asking, "Why _are_ you looking at him like that?"

Zelda lifted a hand to Link's back sympathetically and rubbed it slowly. When she did, she explained it to Risek, "Hyrule has its own legend of a Hero, with a similar name, and Link fulfilled that prophecy when he overcame Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm, the only one who can wield the Master Sword. He's the chosen Hero according to Legend, and it sounds as if he may be the same as the one mentioned in this story we're hearing now."

Risek looked over at the Hylian who'd bowed his head, having known some of the extent of his accomplishments, though he wasn't fully versed in them yet, and considered what Link might have already been through while he thought it all over. Somehow, he got the feeling that, aside from knowing they both shared a piece of the Sacred Relic called the Triforce, their fates might be more intertwined than they knew so far.

While he considered this, Myriad went on with the story. "Well, in this tale, the heroic figure helped the Dragon Master to hide the floating Island of Navat, which was a magical island created centuries beforehand by the Dragons as a safe haven from humans when they were so rigorously hunted. The Hero of Light and the Dragon Master were successful in expelling the Knights from the Island, and peace returned to Alnaric."

"In the wake of that peace however, the Royals became so consumed with making sure that no one else carried on the torches of the White Knights due to the tyranny they'd put the Kingdom through, that they tortured innocent people and even killed them if they were suspected of being one."

Link turned a disgusted look up after his mother spoke those words, and Zelda glanced at Risek, wondering if this was the atrocity he'd spoken of, the reason his family had outlawed the former crest of his Kingdom from being displayed anywhere. But before she could ask, Impa added more to the story in order to bring it to a close.

"Following this, Boemith awoke from his second hibernation to find the Kingdom in a different sort of peril, one brought on by it's own hands, and in his rage, he decided to destroy the entire Kingdom, all save a handful of people with good souls who relocated near the sea, and formed what we know is the Kingdom of Althor."

That did a good job to answer Zelda's question. Risek had also heard that part of the tale several times, enough to have it memorized. So in light of the story being completely now, he added to it.

"Some say it was a natural disaster that destroyed the Ancient Kingdom," he began, "others say it was the people themselves, and yet more believe in the Dragon Tales to be truth, which have become widely accepted by many. What is left of Alnaric however is located on the forbidden slopes of the Endigan Mountains, and no one is permitted to go there by royal law. I myself wasn't sure what I believed, but seeing this now makes it sound as if those tales might actually be true. Especially since I also know now that the Triforce isn't just a myth. Though some part of me has always believed it anyway, otherwise there would be no outlawed crest."

Link pushed himself forward with his arms resting against the table, he and Zelda knowing firsthand just how real the Triforce was, having witnessed for themselves a portion of the full power an assembled relic had, and Myriad knew even better than they did. But that wasn't the issue now. What was, aside from their intentions, was why were these White Knights of Althor in Hyrule now, and Link asked that.

"So, what do they want from _us_ then? Why Hyrule? Do you think they're looking for something in specific? Or maybe they disagree with the attempt for an alliance altogether."

Myriad had considered that, and she looked at Impa for just a moment, then stood from the table, walking over to the window in the room while looking outside at the currently clear skies. She wished she knew the answer to that for certain, and she suggested, "It could be for the Triforce, but only arrogance would suggest they were after anything we possess, and instead, they could simply be against the alliance as you suggested, Link, out for our destruction. And on that note, why would they want our destruction if that is the case? Or why would they want the Triforce?"

Thinking about it now, Zelda slowly stood up. Link turned his head when she did, watching her pace toward a window herself, though she didn't stand at it, turning back to the table in a slow, thoughtful pace, her face one of deep thought. Coming to a stop, she closed her eyes, concentrating on what she knew, what she could be told inside of herself. As always, Zelda felt there were many answers within her reach, she just needed to understand them.

After a moment, her violet blue eyes opened, and she looked first at Link, then up at the rest of them. "The Triforce of Wisdom was used to wipe the knowledge of the floating island's location from the minds of the White Knights." Then she looked at Risek and said, "That of Power was used to expel them from the island altogether."

Things still felt unclear to her as far as the story went. Shaking her head, knowing she couldn't push it, the wisdom her half of the Triforce carried not something she could simply absorb into her mind all at once because it was far to much for anyone to handle, she finished by adding one thing she _did_ know. "The Triforce of Courage was used to seal that power away from them, suggesting that the Hero in this tale may have had all three pieces, or at least access to them. Boemith's red scale completed this effort, and so to undo the seal, they may need those pieces again, which could be an answer as to why they're here in Hyrule."

Peering back over at them, glancing at their thoughtful expressions in turn, she added logically, "It stands to reason that, since I was attacked by a man who'd been placed under their whims, they have no clue who possesses it, or even that anyone does."

"You make a good point," Myriad started, then she looked at her son and at Risek, adding, "Link, Risek, I think that for now, all knowledge of the locations of either piece of the Triforce should be kept secret between us. Neither of us know who it is that could be one of the Knights, and if they realize that either of you possess a piece, that information could be used against you."

Link felt a degree of obligation in that moment. He now knew what his role was, at least, at that time, and that role was to protect the pieces of the Triforce, as well as those who carried them. Zelda he'd always protected, and didn't have a problem with that, but Risek was a slightly different story, and Link knew that there could be an issue of pride involved. But despite this, Link would keep a watchful eye over the man anyway, no matter his personal issues, just because he would die before allowing someone else malevolent to possess any piece of it, especially that of Power, knowing full well what that particular half was capable of.

"I agree completely," Risek replied through Link's quiet thought, his words earnest, and he added, "I hate to think someone I know and trust could be behind this, but this is one thing I would not even inform my own father of, as it could put him at risk as well. Since these Knights hail from my homeland, I can't be certain who is involved. But I will be keeping my eyes open on my own people here with me, though I'm not sure a diplomat could come to Hyrule with a secret agenda this large and still be able to maintain the progress we've made so far in negotiations."

They knew they could believe him, after all, he'd been just as dejected over finding out the truth as any man in his shoes would be, and Risek honestly did feel shame for realizing that the White Knights hailed from his own Kingdom. Though, it wasn't his fault, and he was just as in the dark as they were about why these Knights had appeared in Hyrule to begin with, as well as where they'd potentially come from within his. While they considered this, Zelda sat back down and gave Risek a nod and a smile to reassure him that she believed him.

"I have to agree. Ambassador Arrik seems far too eager to see relations mended. Perhaps one of the other Diplomats, but that also seems hard to believe given the circumstances."

All of them nodded slowly, thinking that whoever was behind this had to be someone they'd yet to meet, except for Risek who could have easily known them. But thoughts of who the Knights were began turning more to how they'd suddenly shown up. Link was desperately trying to figure this out. If there had been a seal placed upon their power, then why and how were they suddenly popping up again after so long? Maybe it had to do with the dragon scales.

When he considered this, he suddenly had a thought about their origins, and then looked at his mother, asking, "Could it be possible that they still have the white scale Effilius gave them?"

Myriad thought that over for a moment, and then slowly nodded her head. "Yes, it would be feasible, Link." She looked at him as if she knew what he might have had in mind, allowing him to stand up from the table and push his chair under it.

When he did, he started, "Then that has to be what's still giving them power now. After all, Risek," Link went on, looking over at the Prince, "you've never even seen them before, have you?"

"No," Risek replied, "there is no official contingency of White Knights in Althor now. There never will be again no doubt."

"Then something had to have happened to make them suddenly appear. Whatever that reason is, it could be because of that Scale, still providing them power."

"That's a good point, Link," Impa told him. "After all, even sealing the power away at Navat wouldn't stop any power provided by a Dragon's scale. It could be that they're searching for a way to release the power they once had."

Link nodded, finishing for her, "Then, no matter what they're after, what we have to do now is find the White Scale, and destroy it so they'll no longer have that power at all."

Myriad couldn't help a smile. Link's summation seemed to be fairly accurate, but there was one last issue they'd yet to tackle. Now seemed the best time to bring it up. "This is true, however, it is a dragon scale, Link. If myth is accurate, then it would be nigh indestructible. So not only will destroying it be a chore in and of itself, getting close to the Knights with such a power as they possess will also take a special effort. Not only can they control people for a short amount of time, but they are more than likely formidable opponents as well, though I'm sure their powers have limits with the seal placed upon them. Things may, however, be made easier if we take certain steps to ensure our success."

Myriad sounded as if she were suggesting something in specific, and she stepped over to her son while the other three watched, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Link, you know what you need to do now."

Link had a fairly good idea. Glancing at Impa, then at Risek and Zelda, he listened to his Mother confirm the thought for him. "Travel to the Lost Woods. You'll need to take up your sword once more."

A stone if silence fell into the room it seemed, and Link stood up straight from where he had leaned against the back of his chair, finally nodding his head. He'd hoped he would never have to use that weapon again despite it's usefulness, but as Myriad had told him only a day or so ago, he would always be what he was born as, and that would never change, not until he was dead anyway.

Despite the fact that he would rather let the Sword of Evil's Bane rest, he apparently had a job to do. It bothered him a little, though it also wasn't completely surprising somehow. Turning his head, he looked at Zelda and saw her giving him a supportive smile that was small, and perhaps even sorrowful somehow, as if she understood the plight of carrying the weapon, no matter how useful or strong it actually was.

"I should probably go as soon as possible," he said to her. "What do you think, Zelda?"

"I think you're right," she told him in response. "Too much has happened already, and if it continues to go on, someone could really be hurt, or even killed. In the meantime, it may be wise to look up the myths on Dragon Scales, just to find out exactly what they can do for someone, and perhaps gain a better understanding of what we're up against."

"First we should tell you father," Impa suggested. "I'll stay here and find as many books as I can. Link, why don't you go prepare to leave, and Zelda, you can take Risek and Myriad with the picture to inform Hadinaru of everything we've learned here now."

"That sounds like a good idea," Link replied, then he turned and gave Zelda a kiss on the cheek. Once he'd pulled back, he said, "I'll let you know when I'm going to leave."

"Alright," Zelda smiled in reply, watching him as he went toward the doors of the library, opening them in order to go get ready. Link sighed as he went down the hallway, thinking all of this over. Maybe he should have just brought the sword back to the Palace to begin with, to continue using it after he'd dethroned Ganondorf. But somehow, it just hadn't seemed suiting. This was simply a new threat that could have come about at any time. Link was simply thankful that someone was about who could actually wield the Master Sword, which would definitely give them - almost literally - the edge they needed to overcome this.

No matter what happened though, Link determined to himself that he wouldn't fail.


	27. Amends

_Chapter 27 - Amends_

Finally. It took him long enough.

Link had been rummaging through his things for some of his gear, including his Hammer Bag which he'd gotten on his birthday so many months ago now, but hadn't used since shortly after he'd defeated Ganondorf. He'd also pulled out a white tunic and some leggings, and finally, he came across a particular item he hadn't seen in a while. Stopping, spying the green material, half of a smile lifted his lips and he tugged the jerkin up, remembering what his mother had told him when she'd gifted him with the item. _Clothing fit for such a hero_.

Turning, Link placed the green jerkin onto his bed and looked it over. It was still as good as new, and if he was going to go get the Master Sword now, he was definitely going to wear it. Reaching for the windsock that had rested with the garment, his hair currently uncovered, he lifted the item and put it on his head almost sentimentally. He felt a mix of emotions about it, couldn't really make up his mind if he cared or not, and looking over at himself in his mirror, he decided it was both good and bad.

He was happy to be able to help, but also sad that he had to. Tugging the green jerkin down over his head, then fastening his belt over it and around his waist, he could only wonder for a moment if there would be more instances like this in the future. All things considered, the White Knights could probably overcome many enemies, and a powerful sword would be needed in order to really strike back at them. But, he pushed the thoughts away deciding that the answers to those types of questions would come in time while getting the rest of his gear on, and he was just finishing with the strap of his shoulder harness when a knock came to the door.

"Come in."

Zelda, hearing the words, pushed the door open and stepped inside of the room, looking over to see Link wearing the outfit he'd been gifted with upon taking the Master Sword up for the first time, and the sight took her far back. It seemed like it had been years almost, but perhaps only half of one had passed since that time. It felt somehow nostalgic in a way, and Zelda only wondered if Link liked wearing the outfit again or not.

She'd just come from the Throne Room where she'd had a talk with her Father about the affairs, and Hadinaru seemed to be, for one, stunned, but mostly, in complete agreement with their idea. All Zelda hoped is that the news she came to give Link wouldn't sour his mood any, but before that, she simply greeted him properly, unable to help a little smile as she walked over to him, leaning up to press a kiss to his lips.

Link leaned in half way, the kiss a short one, but sweet nonetheless, and as she stood back, she said, "You look ready to go."

Link nodded his head, lifting his hands to her arms, looking her gown over. He couldn't help himself, the off-the-shoulder garment one that was fairly eye catching and elegant, very royal. But it also told him she wasn't going with him this time, and that was all for the better, because those White Knights would specifically seek her out if they knew anything about either what Link was after, what they possessed, or that she was simply the Princess of the Kingdom outside of the Palace's walls.

"I am," he nodded, "so I can come back here and figure out what our best course of action is."

Zelda gave him a smile, then she took his hand and a deep breath, and Link was actually distracted for a moment at the way her breasts rose and fell within the gown, glancing to the side because the last thing he needed at that moment was a distraction of that type. But she went on without notice to his thoughts, saying, "Well, don't be angry at me, Link."

Thankfully, that was enough to get his mind off of her feminine curves for a moment - though he had to wonder if Bessa, her seamstress, had also crafted this particular garment so he could thank her for it - and he asked her curiously, "About what?"

The door was cracked behind her when she spoke, and Link watched it opening further. When he did, he saw Risek coming in and he wrinkled a brow, listening as Zelda said, "Risek wants to go with you, and I think it's a good idea rather than you going alone, especially without the Master Sword in the face of these kinds of enemies."

Link sighed, and when he did, Zelda went on as if to try to stop him before any negative thoughts over the matter could be formed in his mind, "You know he'll be able to help you just as easily as I would. There won't be a curse on the Lost Woods any longer, but if those Knights have any way of finding out what you're after, you know they'll try to stop you."

Link supposed she was right. Even still, Risek was a Prince, and putting himself in danger like that might not bode well with several people. Finally, he looked over at Risek and asked, "Are you sure your getting hurt or even killed won't cause a war?"

Risek lifted a brow, and from the way he was dressed, pauldrons and vambraces in place, and his basket hilted cutlass on his hip, he looked as if he'd already gotten some kind of permission to accompany Link already. Finally, he replied, "Arrik may be my superior in rank, but this is an issue my family wouldn't want getting out, therefore I consider it personal. Hadinaru knows all of the details, and so does Arrik, and I've already told them that I'm going despite how they feel about it."

Link couldn't help a narrowed brow, lips pursed, and he shook his head after a few moments. "If you're injured, they could blame me for it."

"Given the situation, Link," Risek replied, "if I don't go and _you_ should be injured, and word gets out that these Knights hail from the Ancient Kingdom, _I_ could be at just as much risk."

Link guessed he couldn't win in this case, though he wished there was some way to do so. After all, Risek's leaving with him could jeopardize more than just the Prince of Althor's life. But it might have been safer as Zelda suggested, so Link decided to go along with it, and finally nodded his head slowly. "Alright, then I'll meet you outside of the stables in a few minutes."

With a singular nod, Risek turned to leave the room, and once he had, Zelda looked back at Link, starting with the words, "I hope you two can–," but then she was stopped with an intense kiss given suddenly, one which made her legs feel weak just before she had to cling to Link. He made sure to slant his mouth over hers several times until he felt her hanging onto him to hold herself up, and in turn, heard a whimper from her throat. Only then did he stop, satisfied that he'd overwhelmed her a good bit, though he simply followed that kiss with another against her throat.

"Link," she whispered out, eyes closed and brows narrowed against the nicely heated attention, gripping him much more tightly than she normally would have, "you're making me shiver."

"I know," she heard, "and I can't help it. I just wanted to remind you of how much I love you before I left."

"I love you too," she whispered back, turning her head to find his mouth again and kiss him once more, rolling their tongues together breathlessly. After several long, dizzying moments of the intensely passionate kiss between them, including a break which Zelda thought was too soon and leaned up to add more to it - which made Link smirk - he finally ended it slowly and hugged her tightly.

"I'll be back by sundown," he said in promise. "I know it's not that long, but you'll be worried with those Knights about."

"You know me too well," she replied, nuzzling his neck slowly and affectionately. "But I don't think I'll be too bad off with all of the research I want to do with Impa. In the meantime, I just hope you and Risek can get along well enough to make this trip faster."

Link couldn't help a small snort of amusement, and he asked her, "Since when have I ever let a personal issue interfere with duty?"

That was true, Zelda considered quietly, knowing that, even if Link had a disliking for someone, he usually never allowed it to influence him in any specific way, especially not when something more important was at stake. So she simply told him, "Never, so if you do this time, I'll just have to have a few words with you when you get back."

Link smiled, letting his blue eyes open before he looked down at her. Zelda leaned up and kissed his cheek, letting him turn to go once she was done, and as he walked to the door with her just behind him, she considered everything the situation entailed. A soft sigh, too soft to hear, was let from her lips, but it was a heavy sigh nonetheless. Though she'd said otherwise, she got the feeling she would be worried about him anyway.

She just had to remind herself of what he was capable.

A short few minutes later, keeping his promise, Link met Risek out near the stables, a little bounce in his step because of the satisfying kiss he'd shared with his intended, and he smacked Risek's arm on the way into the stables, saying, "Hope you can keep up with me," which made the Prince slightly roll his green eyes. If the Hylian got anymore like Marcelle, Risek would think he was the man reincarnated altogether.

Turning and pushing those thoughts aside, Risek went to grab his own ride, which was a black stallion he'd named Nairim, and once outside, he mounted the steed. Link emerged with Frost just behind the Prince, knowing better than to take Epona on such a potentially dangerous trip, being pregnant like she was. Coming toward Nairim's side, then swinging up onto Frost's back, Link didn't have too much to say to Risek as they both began to move.

Instead, while they trotted along to the gates so that the drawbridge could be lowered, they considered the ride ahead of them. After all, they hadn't been the best of friends beforehand, though they also weren't the worst of enemies by any means, and instead, simply seemed to indirectly irritate one another somehow so far. Whatever this trip might have been like though, and whatever might have been waiting for them on it, they at least knew they could rely on one another despite their personal differences so far. They would both simply have to leave those differences behind for now.

Once the drawbridge was completely lowered, while they rode over the connecting structure above the Zora River with this unspoken knowledge in mind, Link looked out at the fields and sighed softly. The greenery Hyrule possessed was as inviting as always, but knowing what was to come, Link couldn't help but comment, "It's taking me back."

"Don't tell me you haven't left the Palace since you arrived here." Risek glanced over at him curiously, the winds breezing gently over the fields picking up his dark hair, the same as it was Link's hair and windsock as the Hylian gave his reply.

"No, not that, just knowing what I have to do now and hoping that whatever trouble I might run into won't interfere with it completely." Link looked over at the Prince settled upon his horse once he'd explained that with a second thought coming to mind, and asked, "Are you a good rider?"

Risek glanced down at the back of Nairim's head and replied, "Not as good as Marcelle, but he was a land lover. He got seasick fairly often. Though I'm no slouch."

"Good, I just wanted to be sure, because Frost is a pretty swift horse."

"Nairim's not slow," Risek replied, "so you can feel free to not worry over leaving me behind."

"Nairim? What does that name mean?"

Link couldn't help but ask Risek that question, glancing over at him curiously. Risek looked at Link before glancing back out at the field, seeming to think it over for a moment, since the name did have a very specific meaning to him, and finally, he decided on the best explanation that he could think of. "It means all that I love but cannot have."

The reply evoked an inquisitive look from Link's face, and Risek looked down at Nairim, patting his mane before adding the words, "He's been my horse since I was nineteen, though I didn't name him for almost a year, until I was certain I knew what I wanted to call him. What about Frost? Did you name him?"

Link, deciding not to ask at that moment for more information on Risek's choice of names for his horse, looked down at Frost and shook his head with a smile, "No, my Father did. Before I knew he was my father, he gifted us with a horse he'd raised, and named him Frost because he said he was born on a very cold morning, and the white coat just made all the more sense, even if it wasn't a very creative name. But I always thought it was fine."

Risek listened, becoming curious himself, which made him ask, "Before you knew he was your father?"

"It's a long story," Link replied and shook his head, then he looked across the fields again, deciding that he could inform the Prince of a little more before they left just incase he needed to know anything in a dire moment. "Do you see Death Mountain?," he pointed out in question, "with the ring of smoke around its peak?"

Risek looked up, narrowing his brows against the sunlight with a bit of a squint to his eyes, but the massive mountain wasn't easy to miss looming in the distance over the trees of the valleys around it. In spotting it, he asked, "Yes, what about it?"

"If we somehow get separated and can't find one another again, just head straight for it from here until you come across the Temple of Light. It shouldn't be too hard to spot within the trees from the trail, and it's somewhat of a straight shot."

"Impa gave me a map, but I'll keep that in mind just incase I don't have the time to look at it," Risek replied with a nod of his head, then dug his heels into his horses hind flanks and took off before Link could.

The Hylian lifted a brow in the Prince's wake, blinking before muttering the words, "Oh no you don't," and then he goaded Frost off into a gallop of his own.

Because of Frost's speed, it didn't take too much for the horse to catch up with Risek's, and they traveled beneath broken wisps of clouds in the sky that allowed the sun in. The both of them kept their eyes open for anything that might have been suspicious, especially for distant riders that could have given off a glint of light signifying armor and thus a Knight, but as they continued on, nothing ever showed itself.

It was a warm afternoon, very enjoyable, and the fields were welcoming. Though Link could remember a different type of setting for those same fields, it almost seemed like that was a completely different place in a totally unrelated time. The battlefield Ganondorf had once turned the land into didn't even seem relevant anymore somehow, just this lush plain which many people traveled over day to day now regularly. Among many things, Link was definitely grateful for that change, and it reinforced his motives now, as he never wanted to see the Kingdom he hailed from turned into such a battlefield again, whether at Ganondorf's hands, or these White Knights.

The hooves of their horses sent a bit of dirt and strands of grass up and flying here and there while they rode, and somehow, the ride might've even been described as majestic if only because of the trees and flowers that were coming into bloom lending a hand of beauty to it all. Ahead, down the trail on which they were traveling, stood the granite Temple of Light where Link's quest to bring Hyrule from the shackles of tyranny it had fallen under had originally begun, the structure standing high behind the trees that encompassed it, and it was now the marker where things were apparently ready to start again.

The trees which shrouded the Temple were in bloom, creating a lovely sight to be sure, and the two riders came to the path that led through them beneath their hanging vines, once again sporting white flowers, just the same as Link remembered from the first time he'd traveled there. Slowing down in their paces, they turned to ride up the trail which led to the Temple's entrance beneath those vines, the branches shadowing out the sunlight into spots of luminescence cast amidst their reach along the ground which warbled over each of the riders while Risek peered up and ahead of them both. He could see a set of stairs in the distance leading up, and the further they went down the trail, the more he could see a set of double doors that awaited them at the top which were marked with the insignia of the royal family and that of the temple.

As he looked it over, considering the ominous feel the cathedral-like Temple seemed to sport, Risek couldn't help but be curious over the situation of everything surrounding them.

"This is it?"

As Risek asked that question, Link had drawn Frost's reigns up, bringing him to a stop completely, and the Prince followed suit. Giving Risek a nod of his head once his boots were settled on the ground, Link turned to look up at the familiar doors himself. "That's it. It's probably the safest place to enter the Lost Woods. Does Althor have Temples like this?"

"Not specifically like this," Risek replied, dismounting Nairim without a problem. Once he had his boots settled on the cobblestone path, he tethered Nairim as Link did Frost to trees standing in the yard around the walkway, and then headed up the steps before them while he went on in explanation to Link, "We have shrines built in dedication to the Goddesses, and Vicars head them. You have something similar here, called Sages I believe."

Link reached out for the handle of the door and nodded, "Vicars, huh? Sounds about right. My Mother and Zelda are Sages. My Mother is the Sage of this Temple currently."

"The Sage of Light, I remember that," Risek mused aloud before he stepped inside behind the Hylian he was accompanying, looking at the murals along the walls and the candelabras settled on the floors, their flames steadily glowing without much movement save for the slight draft created when the two of them had entered the foyer through the doors. Coming to a stop on the marble tile beneath their feet marked with the Triforce and the symbol of the Temple in which they stood, Link looked over at the Prince while he took their surroundings in.

Link was glad that so far their conversation seemed to be fairly devoid of any type of disagreement, and in the effort to keep it going that way, he asked, "Are your Vicars like our Sages?"

"I think so, except I don't ever recall hearing them binding their powers together for certain purposes. I believe they work separately from one another in that aspect, though I could be mistaken."

Link was somewhat curious while he considered that, asking in return, "The Shrines are for Din, Nayru, and Farore, right?"

"Respectively, but most simply call them Harvest, Justice, and Life." Risek looked slightly down at Link once he'd explained that, a considerate expression on his face.

"What?," Link asked when he saw the glance given to him.

"I was just thinking about the Vicars. They're all women, and it's preordained by fate who becomes one before they're born, but I don't remember how they know that."

Link knew what he meant when it came to confusing matters of mysticism and other such arcane aspects of life. While Link did know his fair share of what the common word for was magic, he still wasn't completely certain of the intricacies which allowed it all to work completely. As they spoke over it, he told Risek so.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm still not even sure, aside from apparently leading them and possessing a part of all of their powers that she can combine together, what Zelda's role to the Sages is. I just let her handle it."

The comment got Risek to thinking, and he had to ask Link, knowing that not only was Zelda adept at magic and carried the Triforce of Wisdom, but was also one of the Sages, "She's fairly powerful, isn't she?"

Risek heard Link snorting as if amused while he headed into the corridor just beyond the foyer they'd entered into, and listened while he said, "I tried to tag her a few weeks ago. When I started running away, she teleported right into my path and I almost knocked her over."

"Does she do that often?"

Link tried to think about it. Passing the painted glass images on the walls that told a portion of the history of Hyrule and some of its legends, he nodded, "Come to think of it, she does. I have the feeling that one day, we'll get into an argument, and she won't storm out, but just teleport somewhere."

"That would be frustrating."

"You're the one who asked if she was available."

They both got quiet, reaching the doorway at the end of the hall and coming to a stop, and Link looked back to see the expression on Risek's face, which was actually uncertain for once instead of flat or serious. Link lifted a brow at him as if to say 'I told you so', and Risek rolled his eyes in response to the expression. In order to make him stop, he asked, "Saying I couldn't handle her, were she free for marriage?"

Link pursed his lips, and the two exchanged a look that was somewhat stand-offish for a moment before they sighed and turned their heads in opposite directions from one another. It wasn't specifically about Zelda though, but Link realized that instead, it seemed to simply be about pride between them. As much as he felt the need to make it known that Zelda - in so many ways - belonged to him, he just couldn't shake the feeling that Risek wasn't truly interested in her, as had been spoken the other evening, even if the Prince had denied having feelings for someone else.

So this was all an effort to assert themselves amongst each other. Though Link knew that Risek perhaps bore an interest in the Hylian Princess he called his fiancee out of duty alone, whether he had a flame burning for someone else or not, it just seemed all too obvious to him that this was more about clashing as men instead of fighting over something in specific. Maybe it was their natures - they were both responsible when it came to duty, and in that, continually clashed. But whatever the reason, Link could only hope the two of them reached an even ground with one another soon, otherwise little squabbles like this would continue on, and he got the feeling that not even Risek wanted to deal with that.

So with a sigh of breath, Link finally replied to the question, "No, I'm just saying she'll be a handful."

Hearing that, and having thought nearly the same thing that Link had been, Risek decided that, if they were to come to any sort of truce, then perhaps it should start now. After all, hadn't he said enough the other evening with his warning about a marriage between a Knight and a Princess? Link was probably still sore from that alone, but even if he was, his response just now had been fairly civil, and no where nearly as rude as several men in his position would have given.

So with that consideration in mind, Risek gave a nod of his head and told the Hylian, "That much is already obvious. Though, she's apparently one that's worthwhile, if the way you stand up for her is any indication."

"She is," Link nodded, but he was fairly uncertain where to take the conversation next. Though he was curious at Risek's apparent attempt not to let things get out of hand between them, and so he asked, "Are you saying you could have been wrong about your warning the other night?"

"No, I still believe a marriage between the two of you would probably be unbalanced."

Link couldn't help himself from groaning out a breath. He didn't specifically feel the need to prove Risek wrong, but at the same time, he did. But Link decided that right then and there wasn't the time to talk about it however, and since there were more pressing matters at hand, he simply told Risek, "Let's just get going so we can head back to the Palace as soon as possible."

"Agreed," Risek replied, stepping in behind Link to follow him.

One thing was for certain, and Link tried to keep in mind as he went. They apparently and at least had the capacity to get along, but it simply seemed as if the one thing they disagreed over happened to be something that was very important to Link. If it weren't for that, they might've been fast friends from the beginning, who knew? Risek had to admit the same thing to himself, and in seeing how much his marriage meant to him, he wondered if Link truly understood the complexities between the wedding of a Royal to someone not of their stature in the social scale.

But Link couldn't have been blind to it, could he? For all Risek knew, he considered now, Link and Zelda could have discussed it several times, and worked issues out between themselves. After all, a lifetime of knowing one another would give them both the insight they needed to make things work, wouldn't it? It was in that moment just before they walked through the door that Risek questioned something he'd never really questioned before - himself and if _he'd_ been the one who'd played the game wrong all along.

Far be it for Risek to try to give himself false hopes, but he had to at least give it some slight consideration. Were he to begin courting the head Chambermaid in his home - truly courting her - would he really be chasing something that could never be? Surely the bureaucrats wouldn't like it, giving him an obstacle to overcome, but in his personal views, what would happen? Certainly, the chance to court the woman would make him happier, and say for instance that Mirian actually accepted the flirtations, then what? Would he really be committing some terrible injustice against his fore-bearers that couldn't be forgiven?

One of Risek's sole reasons for deciding not to pursue his feelings for Mirian - his personal reasons anyway - was that he knew that he was duty bound as a Prince to think of the Kingdom first. All royals were trained from birth not to simply be a member, or even a leader of their community, but to give up what they wanted for the survival of that community. It was a duty to self sacrifice for the people you governed, at least, if your Kingdom were to survive. But wasn't there a greater duty? One to yourself, which you had to serve first in many instances before you could serve anyone or anything else properly?

Risek had to push these thoughts out of his head. In a way, he wanted to sarcastically thank Link for putting all of the nonsense there to begin with, but it wasn't Link's fault. After all, Link was apparently following his heart, and was fortunate enough to be able to do so. Or did fortune not even play a part in it at all, and instead, was it really up to each man to do what he felt was needed regardless of the station in life that he'd been born at?

The questions were simply too hard to answer. After all, Risek didn't know just how much thought Link had put into being with Zelda to begin with, nor could he thoroughly contemplate it when Zelda had been raised as a commoner since birth, which now that he considered it, could have been what it took to allow them to work. But Zelda also appeared to love Link equally as much as he loved her, and it just made Risek feel bitter in a way.

He had to stop considering it, stop looking for a means out of what he knew was required of him, and face the music. This kind of dreaming would only lead him further into that bitterness, and Risek refused to allow it to happen.

He just hoped that perhaps one day he would actually find the happiness he felt whenever he thought of Mirian and be able to keep it. In the meantime, he would have to put aside his jealousies toward the Hylian he was currently traveling with and try to actually get to know him better. He owed it to himself and to Link just because Link had never shown him unwarranted disdain, even in the face of disapproval. Such a noble trait was hard to find, and so with that consideration, Risek made up his mind completely.

He just hoped Link would also return the effort he wanted to put up in order to make amends.


	28. Hero's Return

_Chapter 29 - Hero's Return_

Entering the Atrium of the Temple, Link pushed his previous conversation with Risek from his head for the time being. Instead, he simply took in his surroundings, the familiar archway upon the stairs that led into the notorious forest called the Lost Woods where his destination lie, and then heard a hum of concentration. Getting his attention, Link looked up to see Brahm settled in a chair just across from where he and Risek stood, working on painting a glass window settled onto a podium which was going to be placed in one of the walls when it was done, spectacles on his eyes to help him see better. In seeing how deeply the elder Hylian was concentrating, Link walked over quietly behind him, waving a hand for Risek to hold on for a brief moment. Once Brahm had settled his brush in the paint well, Link said somewhat loudly, "Who goes there!?"

Brahm jumped and spun around, staring over at Link with wide eyes, then made a gasp as he said, "Link! You'll give an old man a heart attack doing that!"

With a grin, Link replied, "Not yours, Brahm, it's as strong as a Goron's."

"I should wish," Brahm informed him with raised brows, standing from his seat and looking over at the Hylian, spying the green outfit he wore, and he nodded his head, "Myriad informed me you'd be here, I just wasn't sure _when_ you'd be here. Apparently," he added on a slightly more sour note, but simply shrugged before he continued speaking. "But I had the proper arrangements made, and I found a scabbard for your extra sword."

Link gave Brahm a smile as he watched the old Hylian pulling an empty scabbard out from next to his podium and he reached over to take the item and shove it into his belt. "Thank you Brahm. It should come in handy. Oh, and I nearly forgot. Brahm, this is Risek, the Prince of Althor. Prince Risek, this is Brahm, a custodian of the Temple and good friend of my Mother's."

"Yes," Brahm nodded, bowing his head to the Prince, "I've yet to meet you in person, but I've seen you at court, Your Highness."

Risek returned the bow of his head respectfully and nodded, "I'm pleased to meet you. I believe I've seen you about as well."

Link stepped to the side while they introduced themselves, looking at the open archway which led out onto a patio and into the woods where, about five months ago or more, he remembered a cursed mirror standing which had spawned a dark half of himself he loathed to think about. So instead, he distracted himself from it by asking, "Brahm, how are the woods these days?"

"Calm, peaceful," the Hylian replied, "much better since the first time you arrived here I'm pleased to say."

Nodding, Link looked back, and then over at Risek and asked, "Ready to go?"

"As I ever will be," Risek told Link, stepping up toward the archway and through it with the Hylian. As they went, Brahm stepped up toward them, and got their attention.

"Link."

Turning around, Risek stopping to look back as well, Link asked, "Yes?"

"Your Mother gave me a message for you when you arrived. She said don't worry over shattering peace, not when you're simply maintaining it. I'm not sure what she meant, but I had the thought that you would."

Link thought those words over, then nodded his head, giving Brahm a smile. "I do. Thank you, Brahm." With the gratitude, he turned and began to walk once more, remembering what he'd said to his Mother when he's replaced the Master Sword on its pedestal all that time ago. As he and his parents had been leaving the Lost Woods to return to the Palace, he told Myriad he thought it was bittersweet, but he didn't want to ever see the sword again despite the fact that he had become attached to it. He said it would make him feel as if he would shatter peace.

So the words made a good bit of sense to him, and he was glad that Brahm had delivered the message just then, because it did make him feel better. With the newly planted thoughts in mind, he stepped out into the forests with his Althorian companion and began his effort of recovering the weapon.

The woods were warm in the midday sunlight, and fairies of white drifted past freely, perhaps even happily in their peaceful travels through the air, the sound of leaves rustling and birds singing the only noise about. Despite the name of the woods, which had a good reason behind it, it was, in fact, an ethereally beautiful place. Risek had to consider as much in taking it in, and though he didn't appear to really fit in due to the fact that unlike several Hylians, he had black hair and a somewhat darker aura due to his serious demeanor, that shouldn't suggest that he didn't appreciate the setting at all.

Neither of them spoke much at first, except for the random question Risek put to Link about how far away it was, but that aside, they mostly remained silent at first. If they spoke, they wanted the words to be civil, and not end up with any sort of tension between them. After all, as Link had already stated, and Risek knew for himself, their duty then was more important than personal squabbles they might have, and neither of them wanted to jeopardize it.

But Link had a thought while they went, one which he'd always been curious over, and now he had the chance to find out. Looking over at Risek, he asked, "Risek, do you have that compass on you that you won in Hyrule's Market the other day?"

"Yes."

"Do me a little favor. Look at it."

Risek was curious over why he'd asked, and decided to tug the item from his pouch, lifting it up to take a look. When he did, he saw that the dial was constantly spinning, and wouldn't settle on any true north, which made him lift a brow. "That's strange."

Link took a look, then nodded his head, "That's what I thought."

"Lost Woods," Risek muttered. "The name isn't for show."

"No, it's not." Link shook his head, "The first time Zelda and I came here, we were wandering about for three hours looking for the sword while trying not to lose one another. But back then, there was some kind of curse on the forest meant to mislead people from finding the sword. It's still like that, but there's nothing malevolent here anymore."

"A curse?"

Link nodded, explaining, "The Sorcerer who imprisoned my Mother in the Sacred Realm did it to keep the chosen one from finding the sword so easily."

"I see," Risek replied, fully believing Link. Stepping over a fallen tree trunk, he asked, "And who was this Sorcerer?"

Link shrugged a little, replying, "Dragmire. 　I don't know much about him to be honest. He died before I ever really met him, though I did see a ghost of him in the Dark Palace. But he _used_ to be Mother's friend before he started craving more power, and finally they became exact opposites. I think that's what she said anyway. But you should ask her if you really want to know. My enemy was his son, Ganondorf."

Risek listened fully to the words, looking ahead in thought while Link pushed a low lying branch up in order to step beneath it, allowing Risek to do the same before he walked on. Once Risek had gotten under the branch, he began, "I'd heard of Ganondorf several times. When I was about thirteen, my father sent him an offer for help because he'd become a child king, but that offer was declined and no word was ever heard from Hyrule again. Eventually, we fortified ourselves without knowledge of what this new king might have been planning to do."

"That's good," Link pointed out certainly, "because he would have invaded eventually, I'm sure. But he had to have all of Hyrule under his complete control without anyone resisting him before he could have done that, which he never quite accomplished, though he came very close."

Risek did nod his head, but he didn't reply verbally. He got the feeling that if it hadn't been for Link's efforts, he could have been in much more dire straights right now. After all, his father had grown ill, and if he had that to contend with, on top of his kingdom being invaded, Risek knew his world would have been absolutely nothing short of chaotic.

Link had lapsed into his own thoughts after that, and he looked up at the Prince once or twice while they walked, wondering what the man could have been thinking of since his expressions were usually so hard to read. So he decided to guess. After all, it might help to make things go by more quickly.

"So, do you miss home?"

Risek was silent for a moment or two, and finally he nodded, "Yes, I do miss my father and my brother. Though, perhaps I don't miss all of the work I've been put to lately. It's hard to have a personal thought to yourself when everyone is demanding your attention constantly. If it weren't for Lukas, my brother-in-law, I'd have absolutely no time, nor would I even be here now."

"Lukas? What is he?"

"The Grand Duke of Meley, one of the largest provinces in Althor. Arrik is his father."

Link nodded his understanding out, then asked, "Then he's taking the leadership for now? Is your sister watching your father?"

The mere thought made Risek snort in amusement, "Heh, no. She has absolutely no bedside manner, nor does she even like to be around the sick or needy."

"Not even her own father?"

"Especially her own father," Risek replied, "or any of her family members. I think it might be because she remembers when her mother died, she was right outside of the room."

Risek wasn't one for making excuses for someone, but he could honestly say that Charlain's avoidance of their father probably did have to do with her mother's death, as the woman lay in bed unconscious for two days after having Gabriel, and eventually died of infection and weakness due to blood loss.　　Charlain had been there for a good bit of it, thought her presence would help her mother to pull through, and when it didn't, Charlain became afraid to be around anyone else who was sick, especially family members, due to becoming highly uncomfortable. Being such a way around needy people however was just her high and mighty side coming through.

"Then who's watching him while you're away?" Link asked while Risek thought this over, giving the Prince an inquisitive look.

"I asked a personal favor of the head Chambermaid named Anamirian. She's the younger sister of my best friend Marcelle, and my father has always been fond of her. Not to mention she's adept with medicines and caring for the ill anyway."

Link nodded over the explanation, then looked ahead. He'd been keeping track of where they were going, and he saw the clearing he'd been searching out ahead of them while Risek spoke. Stepping over a stone that was upraised from the ground a bit, Link replied to Risek by saying, "Well, I hope the King gets better, if only because it would do your kingdom good."

"Thank you," Risek drew out, sounding slightly hesitant. After all, despite their talking, both men felt a little strange around one another, considering their situation at that moment. But Risek wasn't simply going to let that tension prevent him from handing out his gratitude. After all, he did appreciate the thought of his father's well being.

But his mind became distracted when he saw what Link had known was coming. Stepping in a bit closer, he looked up to see the pedestal ahead of them in a grove of trees on which a sword rested. Link had the same sentiments, coming to stand in the grove with the man who'd traveled aside him. A heavy sigh that he couldn't help but let was expelled from his lungs and through his nose.

There it was. The Master Sword resting amidst the rays of sunshine glowing down through the branches and into the area where things had all began. Risek looked the sword over, remembering the tales that only one person could wield the weapon, and he had to admit - looking at it now - that it looked to be a powerful blade indeed. But he heard Link letting a sigh when the sight came into view, and he glanced over at the Hylian, curiously wondering why he looked the way he did.

"What's wrong?"

Shaking his head, Link replied, "Nothing. I'd just hoped that I'd never have to see this weapon again."

"Why is that?"

Link remembered everything he'd gone through, everything the weapon had helped him accomplish, and looking over at Risek, he finally said, "She's helped me a great deal, but carrying her means things aren't settled, and I don't like the idea of that. Mother's right, I'm just maintaining peace, but that unsettled business isn't something that I look forward to."

Listening, Risek gave a nod of his head one Link was done giving the explanation, and he offered the words, "That makes sense. But at least you'll know you _can_　handle that business with the weapon in your possession again."

With a nod, Link considered he was right before he tugged the sword already on his back out of the blue and gold sheath he'd always used, then turned it to push into the scabbard on his belt which Brahm had given to him. Risek watched him quietly, simply awaiting his action, and briefly supposed when he glanced back at the Master Sword again that if he were to try to grasp it, he wouldn't be able to pry it up. He wondered, were Link to lose his sword, if he could throw it back to him, and decided in that moment that he hoped Link never lost it.

Link began to step forward, and as he went, he informed the Prince, "Be ready, the last time I pulled this weapon out, I was attacked."

As he stepped forward, Risek lifted a brow, and then glanced about to see if there were any threats around, but as far as he could tell, they were alone. The woods were quiet and calm, peaceful just as Brahm had told them it was, but Risek kept his eyes open anyway. Link walked across the pedestal while Risek did this, and in reaching the sword, he took in his breath, and wrapped his fingers around the hilt which somehow felt very familiar to his hand, as if made to be a perfect fit.

Without much effort in his tug, the blade came free of the pedestal, and Link lifted her, looking the silver over as it glinted in the sunlight. She was exactly the same as he'd left her, and he remembered the last time he'd been here, reunited with his mother, and shortly thereafter, his father as well. He also remembered that this pedestal was the first time he'd ever set eyes on his Mother, who'd appeared to him and who he'd then known as Mira in a magical illusion, and had completely changed his life with many truths he'd previously been unwitting to.

Not only this sword, but this place held many memories for Link, and he wasn't surprised at all that, despite the woods in which it was located, he could find it so quickly. Those times past would always be sacred to him, and the last memory that entered his mind - that of putting the sword back and telling the blade that he hoped he'd never have to take her up again - was perhaps the most sacred due to the meaning behind it for him, the meaning that his life was at peace and he had what he both wanted and needed.

But as it appeared, fate wasn't supposed to quite work that way.

Things were still quiet he realized as well even though he now held the sword in hand, the silence breaking through his consideration as if someone might have yelled at him, and Link turned around, looking over at Risek who simply waited. "Maybe I was wrong."

"It seems as if you may be this time."

"That actually makes me worry," Link said, stepping across the pedestal as he sheathed the blade onto his back again, walking down the beveled steps before adding, "I hope we're not ambushed now."

Passing Risek, the Prince watched him going, the fully attired Hero of Legend, and considered how, at first sight, the Hylian didn't seem all that threatening. Looks can be deceiving though, Risek knew as much. Turning, he followed in behind Link while looking at the trees for this possible ambush, wondering if Link was simply being paranoid or not. But instead of mentioning it, he simply began heading back to the Temple where they would get their mounts and leave the area. After all, Risek was no stranger to combat and the whims of an enemy, and knew that, were something out there ready to attack them, it could come at any moment without warning.

As they went, Link glanced over at Risek quietly from time to time, and Risek caught the looks, staying silent at first, but finally asking him, "What is it?"

"Sorry," Link said, "I just find it strange."

"What's that?"

"That you have the Triforce of Power," he replied, showing where his own thoughts had been wandering to. "I overheard Zelda and my Mother talking about how that Triforce wasn't returned to the Sacred Realm and instead, chose someone else to go to, and that being the case, we would find out in time who had it. It just seems a little strange to me that an Althorian would get it."

"I can't say I disagree," Risek responded, stepping over a rock laying on the ground, one which Link lifted his own leg up onto afterwards. "I'm not entirely certain what I have it for, nor do I understand how to use it."

Link gave a shrug of his shoulders, replying, "Not that I want you to mimic him at all, but it seemed to just enhance Ganondorf's abilities. I think that's what they all do, and aside from that, I haven't been able to fully comprehend their capabilities either. But Ganondorf knew a lot more about them than I did. So does Zelda. He actually managed to combine the three pieces while we carried them to open the Sacred Realm and free my Mother."

The comment got Risek's attention, and the Prince gave Link a very curious expression. "How did he do that?"

"I'm not exactly sure," Link admitted, "I just know we all had the common goal to free her, and since the Triforce grants the user what he or she wants most, it allowed the pieces to combine together with us to perform that task."

"Interesting," Risek replied.

Link had to disagree with those words, shaking his head, "I can't say that it was very interesting to see all of Hyrule from the sky while contained inside of a huge, powerful relic before being transported into another realm at the whims of a madman who was so obsessed with power he would do anything to gain it." Then he shrugged, "But I could be wrong."

Risek looked at Link's face to see the agitated expression there, supposing that his previous considerations that looks were deceiving were definitely true. Link had apparently been through a good deal more than could have been imagined when simply told that he'd saved his Kingdom from tyranny - Zelda as well, which made her more of a Princess despite being raised as a commoner, than many Risek could think of, including his sister. He considered what it might've been like, but he could only suppose that his imagination wouldn't take him but so far.

Risek also thought over the words Link had spoken about Ganondorf however, coming to a stop. Seeing him, Link also stopped as well, turning to look slightly up at him as Risek was a little bit taller than the Hylian - many Althorians were. In ceasing their walk for the moment, Risek asked, "Ganondorf was a manipulator, wasn't he?"

"Very much so." Link nodded in reply.

"Hmm," Risek thought aloud. "I wonder if it's possible," he started, looking to the side in thought, "if Theowen, the previous Althorian Ambassador, had more talks with him then he'd let on to. Theowen was good friends with Arrik as well. It just makes me curious."

"Curious about what?"

"I'm not sure," Risek replied, "I don't have any plots at hand. Just general curiosities. I was only thirteen when Hadinaru and Nissandra supposedly died, and Ganondorf was younger than I. So I doubt there was much of a chance for it."

Risek couldn't help it, curious over whether or not the former King of Hyrule could have attempted to manipulate diplomats from Althor for whatever reason. It bore absolutely no weight on the situations at hand, but it was an interesting thought nonetheless, though one he doubted would ever be answered. If Ganondorf did want anything from Althor though, Risek could only guess - from the way the man sounded - that it would have been false promises of power in return for assistance to reinforce the tyranny in his own lands, only to eventually invade Althor and overthrow it as they'd mentioned earlier.

It made Risek even more curious about what had happened in Hyrule, wondering about the one who'd possessed the Triforce half he now carried and why, after his death, it had been granted to him. In a somewhat surprising moment to Link, he asked, "Do you think that perhaps I was chosen to possess this Triforce because I'm...," he shook his head, uncertain what words to use.

Link hadn't really heard Risek sounding uncertain before, but it really showed now. This talk about the former possessor of the Triforce of Power and the way that he was must have made him worry a bit, and Link had to shake his head because he thought he got the feeling he knew where Risek was going with it.

"If you mean to say that you have it because you're anything like what Ganondorf was, then no, not at all. The Triforce isn't good or evil, it just reflects what's already in a person's heart. If there's one thing I've learned, it's always a man's actions that define him, the things he wants, and strives to have. It has nothing to do with some age old relic picking them from under a star of fate. Whatever is in you, sharing similarities with a previous possessor has nothing to do with why you were chosen, because the relic doesn't have a predilection to any type of person."

Listening, the words did make Risek feel a good bit better about the whole thing, and he couldn't help but consider something as he looked at Link. "You know, you sounded like your Mother just now."

Link's face was blank for only a few moments, and slowly, a smile began to form there. "You're not the first person who's said that. My Father and Zelda both tell me she's rubbed off on me."

The words put half of a small smile on Risek's face, and he nodded his head. In seeing the expression, Link knew that he was right, and there wasn't anything malevolent about the more-serious-than-not Prince of Althor, that much more lay beneath his exterior than was first seen. In figuring this out, he had to admit that it would also be nice to see what the Triforce of Power might be capable of when in the hands of someone not consumed by evil and its intentions.

But Link waved a hand and said, "Let's change the subject." With those words, he began walking again. "Tell me about Marcelle. He was your best friend?"

"Yes," Risek replied, moving on with Link through the trees. "He was a lot like you are actually. Though, since he knew me much better, he jested with me more."

"Because he knew your sense of humor."

Risek shook his head, "No, actually, because he thought I was too stiff, as he put it." Once he'd said that, he wondered what Link might have to say in reply.

"Oh, well," Link looked over at him, shrugging a shoulder. "You _are_ a serious man."

"When I have to be."

"You don't have to be now, but you still seem fairly serious. Don't you do anything for fun?"

"Of course."

"But not lately with all of your work, right?"

"No, not lately. But like my father, I enjoy drawing from time to time. I also used to play the piano with my Mother, but not anymore."

"She liked music?"

"Loved," Risek corrected. He hadn't spoken of his Mother to anyone in years, not even to his Father, and he wasn't sure why he'd brought her up just now. Still, he felt inclined to say a little more, and went on, "I was nearing five when she died. I haven't spoken much of her to anyone since then, except to Marcelle when he asked about her. Perhaps that's why I brought her up just now."

"Because I remind you of him?"

Risek nodded, his expression a bit thoughtful, pushing some branches back when he saw the wall of the Temple of Light in the near distance. Realizing they were back at the Temple once more, he continued speaking, "Marcelle was very jovial, kind, and he would do anything to protect his sister or someone he loved. For a while, he actually liked my own sister, until she became more and more high and mighty to him and everyone else around her. He also had a mischievous streak in him that usually got his sister to yell at him on several occasions."

"You said her name was Anamirian?"

"Yes. We all call her Mirian though. She was younger, but in many ways much more mature."

"They sound like nice people," Link told him, stepping toward the archway. "So what happened to him anyway?"

Coming to a stop at the door, no sign of Brahm in sight, Link supposed just after he'd asked the question that the man must have been off taking care of some miscellaneous task. In considering it, Risek answered his query, "He was the Captain of the Knights, and was sent to investigate reports of trespassers seen heading into the Endigan Mountains."

Hearing the name, Link's brows narrowed, and as he opened the door inside of the Atrium so they could head toward the foyer, he asked, "Endigan? Isn't that the same place you said that Alnaric was located?"

Link had to stop, because he noticed that Risek wasn't following him anymore. Turning to look back, the Prince had a highly thoughtful, and very shocked expression on his face, one that seemed to be mixed with an underlying anger. "Risek? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, you said something right," Risek informed him, suddenly balling his fist before letting a loud grunt as if he wanted to hit something, which made Link take a slow step back, not wishing to become the man's indirect target. It took Risek a moment to contain himself, but he did so and, staring to the side, said, "Marcelle's body was never recovered, only his weapons which suggested a magical attack of some type, and I'd been trying to look into the matter to bring some form of justice to his death while running Althor in my Father's stead."

Link listened, allowing him to continue his story, and Risek looked over at the Hylian finally and finished, "Knowing of these White Knights now, I think I know who killed him."

Link gave a slow nod of understanding, thinking that it somehow made perfect sense if Marcelle went to the very place that the Knight's apparently hailed from. Risek seemed somewhat shaken by the discovery however, and Link asked him, "Are you alright?"

With a slow, deep breath, Risek nodded, "I will be. I'm actually very grateful I came here with you now, otherwise I might not have pieced it together until I'd gone back home. But I'll be fine."

"Good, because we may still run into them on the way back to the Palace. If we do, I don't want you to become vengeful and run off after them. I do have a duty to make sure you're well being stays well."

Hearing the concern, Risek looked at Link and shook his head, "I don't intend on doing any such thing. Not until I know for certain what I'm dealing with. Then I'll see about going after them."

Seeing that Risek was earnest in those words, Link gave a nod, having been unsure if this discovery would have made him irrational in any way at all. But Risek didn't seem to be ready to just storm out and hunt the Knights down, so he felt much easier in heading on now. So in turning, walking down the corridor and into the foyer, Link told the Prince, "I'm sorry about what happened to him, and I hope his sister's doing well at least."

The mention of Mirian made Risek wonder if he should tell her what he'd figured out whenever he returned to Althor, but he supposed that he had no reason to keep it from her. After all, it would be a little closure, wouldn't it? Deciding that was the most likely case, Risek replied honestly to Link as they walked through the chamber at the front of the Temple, "I don't know, to be honest. I haven't spoken with her much, though I have kept a close eye on her in order to fulfill a promise to Marcelle that I would watch out for her if anything were to happen to him."

"Why haven't you spoken with her? I mean, if you don't mind my asking. She was your best friends sister after all."

Risek lifted a brow before he looked down, hiding the slight dejection he felt over the subject as he replied, "I get the feeling I'm a painful reminder to her of what she's lost."

"Oh," Link drew out, thinking that made sense. After all, Althorians were emphatic, so maybe Risek just knew, prompting the question, "I see, you sensed her feelings?"

"No," Risek shook his head. After answering, Link pushed the doors open, and they stepped down the front steps, heading toward their horses before he went on, "Althorians can't simply sense the feelings of other Althorians, or rather, we can, but it's very, very rude, enough to have caused divorce and banishment even. We usually reserve our emphatic abilities for members of our families and households, or those the very closest to us."

Link thought about that, knowing that Hylian's were telepathic on the flip side, though some of them weren't very good at using that ability. It sounded like the terms were the same for both races, and Link said, "We don't typically use our telepathy on just anyone either. Instead, it's an ability you have to work at harnessing. Zelda's much better at it than I am, and we don't just read anyone's minds. Instead, the thoughts have to actually be spoken to someone before we can really hear them, though if you're skilled enough, you can glimpse another's thoughts."

"That's the same for Althorians. Many don't exercise empathy at all. Though, married couples do so commonly if wed out of love. There's a ritual of binding performed between couples once their wed called Emfaria that allows the couples to sense one another's feelings as if one entity, or so I'm told. It's a fairly intimate experience not meant to be shared outside of marriage."

"That sounds," Link lifted a brow as he came to a stop near Frost and Risek walked toward Nairim, "kind of nice, actually. I wonder if there's any sort of telepathic binding between Hylians. I'd have to ask Zelda."

Risek smirked over the comment, though Link didn't see it, and while he was taking Nairim's reigns, he heard the Hylian grumbling a bit. Pulling the black stallion away from the tree, he looked over at Link curiously, listening to the complaint the newly equipped Hero issued.

"This isn't right. I don't have a good feeling at all. If we make it back to the Palace without at least seeing _something_, I'm going to be very uneasy."

Risek climbed onto the back of his horse and glanced over at Link while he mounted Frost. Proving he had a sense of humor as he turned his mount to face the path leading away from the Temple, he asked, "Telepathy telling you that?"

"No, my gut is," Link replied with a shake of his head and sigh of breath through his nose that came out in an amused snort. Looking about, he added, "I just don't think the ride home is going to be all that pleasant."

"You could be right," Risek told him, allowing Link to mount Frost and get settled on his back. Link pulled his extra sword from his belt and turned, placing it into one of the straps on his saddle so he wouldn't be too weighted down by it anymore, and Risek considered while he did that perhaps this whole trip hadn't gone as badly as he'd thought it would. In fact, he'd actually enjoyed talking to Link and just getting a few things out onto the table which he'd kept in for quite a while now.

Link finished situating himself and his things before he took the reigns of his horse again, and gently pushing his heels into Frost's hind flanks, the horse began to trot toward Risek when the Prince said, "Link."

Looking up, Link asked, "What?"

With a solemn expression on his face, Risek informed him, "I might have been quick to judge you, and I'm sorry if I've ever offended you. I think that perhaps my own burdens have recently turned me into something which I'm usually not."

Seeing this side of Risek, Link had to admit, was definitely better than the aloof, serious Prince he'd usually come off as. Giving him a smile and a nod, Link informed the man, "I think I can understand that. We'll just have to keep trying to get along."

Risek nodded, giving his unspoken agreement to the words, and then he goaded Nairim off into a trot down the path. As they went, Link said, "You're still too stiff though."

Risek made a loud groan, and Link laughed, unable to help himself. He could only wonder as they left the Temple if Zelda had wanted Risek to come along because she actually got the feeling that something like this would have happened. He wouldn't have put it past her anyway.

But he was thankful she had. Now he could concentrate on more important things, which he would do so without falter. The Hero had returned, he thought with some slight amusement. Hopefully, it would be to the White Knight's dismay.

---

_So, the Prince of Althor was riding with the Hylian rumored to be the Legendary Hero. That's where they'd been traveling, to acquire the Master Sword, which the Hylian named Link was now carrying. Such a sword will be a formidable weapon to use against us, but it proves the rumors true. Link is the chosen one, and therefore, must know the location of the Triforce, or even only a half of it._

_We will have to go now, while they are alone, and confront both the Hylian, as well as the descendant of the Ancient Royals. Risek would, after all, make a powerful ally, that is, if he would allow himself to be less prideful and more understanding of the whims of the Goddesses. Sadly, I don't think he'll join us at all, and if he ever does, it won't be easily. No matter, one way or the other, he'll be taken care of, and will not interfere with out efforts of restoring Althor to the previous glory that Alnaric once was._

_It's a shame that Ganondorf was usurped. He helped us to realize the value of the White Scale Effilius granted to us once again, though no doubt he would have inevitably been after the item for himself. We know his promises to us were empty - he would not have shared power and rather, tried to consume it, for any being capable of using a relic for their own whims such as the Triforce made by the Goddesses themselves is definitely nothing more than a complete heretic. Still, he would have allowed the power we once possessed to be freed using the Triforce once the whole was under his control, and then we could have used it to overthrow him._

_No matter. Now we will strike, as our time spent in Hyrule observing has gained us just about all that we need to know. Once we have more information on where the Triforce Relic is hidden, we will take it, and gain back the abilities that were once ours to use as freely as we wished to. With it, we will bring the wraith of the Goddesses down upon Hyrule, and allow nothing to stand in the three sister's ways._

_The acquirement of the Master Sword, a blade which was previously used ages ago to help in overcoming us, won't deter our resolve. Hyrule's hero may have returned to his station, but he would be powerless to stop us in Althor, just as Risek will realize if he tries to employ the Legendary Hero's services. Our time has come again, and we will not be stopped._


	29. First Strike

_Chapter 30 - First Strike_

Evening was upon the two as their ride back to the Palace began. Not a single cloud was in the sky to block out the rays of light, but there did seem to be a fierce wind up, one which told Link a storm could have been brewing to come that night. He wondered how bad it would be when a few gusts past over him, also wondering if they would make it back before it happened upon them.

He'd done a slight bit more chatting with Risek before their ride had really started picking up pace, finding out that the Prince did in fact have skill with arcane magics, claiming to have studied under a Warlock named Hyddigan who had died about two years ago from simple old age. Apparently, in Althor, Witches and Warlocks were as common as in Hyrule, but not commonly seen amongst the populous due to raising suspicions over the years of their intentions, though they were still accepted.

Risek didn't profess to be a complete master however, no by a long shot. But he knew enough to use it in the event that he needed it, and remembered a few tricks he'd performed for his brother when he was younger that had awed the child. He could only wonder how Gabriel was fairing right then, glad that the thirteen year old was unwitting to the situations Risek had discovered since he'd arrived in Hyrule, hoping that the most irritation Gabriel might have been experiencing, if any at all, was simply at the hands of his older sister.

But Risek's thoughts ceased in that moment when, mid-gallop, Link tugged on his reigns and began to stop. Risek followed suit, watching the Hylian turning on Frost with a look of both curiosity and some slight wonder on his face, brows narrowed over his blue eyes, as he began to head back a few paces.

Once Nairim's hooves had stopped in the dirt path, Risek looked back to see Link inspecting the dirt trail they'd been sticking to. The area was one that was fairly devoid of trees, just some slight hills here and there, the Palace a ways off into the horizon lined by trees. Turning Nairim, Risek goaded his mount over, asking, "What's wrong?"

"Tracks," Link said, "across he trail horizontally." Coming to a stop, he spotted the tracks again, and pointed them out. Following the line of sight his hand showed Risek, the Prince looked into the direction they were heading along with Link, which was across the fields and toward a dense grouping of trees just beyond them a good bit away. The grass had been torn up from where it grew in a few places, leaving darker patches of dirt here and there, and both Link and Risek could tell that horses had made the prints - from the looks of it, about five horses.

Link looked off into the distance where the trail led, seeing no one in sight, and he could only wonder to himself if the tracks had anything to do with the White Knights. After all, what group of horses traveling in Hyrule would have made tracks so recently and have not even taken the typically beaten path?

As if reading his mind, Risek said, "I wonder if it could be them."

"I was just thinking the same thing," Link responded, and then he glanced over at the black haired Althorian with a raised brow. "If it is, I don't think it would be a good idea to try to pursue them right now."

"I don't either. Unless they attack us, we should stay on the defensive."

"Agreed," Link said, tugging on his reigns so that he could continue on toward the Palace, but Risek didn't follow suit. Seeing the Prince still staring off into the distance, he turned back, asking, "What?"

Risek stayed quiet for just a moment, when a second glint of light hit his eyes after the first that had caught them to begin with. Surely enough, Link saw it as well, and both men could make out the figure of a single White Knight settled atop a hill in the distance. Apparently alone, Link and Risek glanced at one another briefly before staring back at the single rider again when Risek spoke in answer to Link's question finally.

"It looks like we've been watched."

Link could only nod in reply. As he stared at the Knight and heard Risek's words, he watched more of the so-called holy warriors arrive to the scene with their comrade. The sight made Link and Risek both narrow their brows as one by one, the mounted warriors took their places next to the first, standing in a line to look down on the area where the two on the path were currently located until there was eight of them in total. Eight against two didn't really bother Link however, but what did was the unknown. These White Knights could have been capable of anything in specific, and without knowing a good strategy of defense, Link was less than enthusiastic about staying around to fight. Not to mention he couldn't risk Risek getting hurt or even worse than that.

Risek wasn't sure he was for staying either, but he also knew that if they moved, the Knight's could follow and give chase. So he asked the most important question in that moment. "Link, are we close enough to make it to the Palace?"

"Normally I'd say yes, but they could be fairly fast travelers, even be able to teleport."

"Good point." With a soft sigh, keeping his wariness up, he added, "Then we stay and fight, or we run and fight."

"Either way, if they follow us, we're going to have to fight," Link agreed, knowing they were short on options.

They didn't have time to question it either way it went however, because they watched as the riders began to take off and down the hill toward them one by one. It was out of nowhere that they did, and Link wasted no time in grabbing his bow which he kept beneath his shield, but over the sheath of his sword on his back, and said, "It looks like they're thinking the same thing."

Risek reached to his belt where his crossbow was, flipping back the cape he wore in order to get his hand upon the weapon, and heard the string of Link's bow as he fired an arrow in the direction of the now traveling Knights. Link wasn't aiming for them in specific due to their armor, but rather, their horses which would give himself and Risek a tactical advantage. As the weapon flew, he could see that his arrow hit, but it didn't deter the rider's animal. Instead, they all kept coming, and Link took in a breath, wondering exactly what kind of beasts the Knights might have been riding upon. So, notching another arrow, this one beginning to glow white with the power of Light that the guardians had gifted him with, he took a second shot at them.

Risek hadn't seen anything like that before, and he watched as the arrow went flying toward one of the Knights when Link released the shooting string. That action did the trick, the Light Arrow exploding in a barrage of glimmering magic when it hit the Knight he'd fired it at, and that burst knocked the rider from his mount completely, an action which made Link grin.

"One down, seven to go."

"They'll make it to us before we can take them all out though."

Link knew he was right, not to mention the Light Arrows could be fairly consuming when it came to using his energy before he could dismount all of them, but he let another arrow fly anyway, his aim as impeccable as always, slamming into a second Knight, and he asked Risek in return, "Got any tricks up your sleeve that might help?"

"A few," Risek told him, and he pulled his reigns to the side to get a good shot. As he moved, Link glanced over, already seeing that Risek's hand had begun to glow with some sort of power, the color being a blue that seemed to somehow burn around his fingers like a fire as it drew in strength. Lifting his arm, Risek closed his eyes and that power grew against his palm before he turned his entire hand outwards as if to throw the magic he'd amassed, suddenly shooting off from his fingertips in bright beams of light, heading toward the knights swiftly before dissipating into nothingness just before it could reach them. The Knight's continued to ride without falter.

"That was it?," Link asked, giving Risek a lifted brow. Before any answer could be given however, a burst of power erupted between the riders heading toward them, knocking two more of them off of their horses while disorienting a third.

Risek lifted a brow, "It's never done that before, it should have exploded on impact."

"I'll take it either way," Link replied, both men supposing the Triforce of Power might have unwittingly been behind it. But the Knights were closing in, those that had been dismounted steadily regaining themselves to their horses further off in the fields, and with only about thirty yards between the two and their current pursuers, Link added, "But we should get going."

Risek gave him an unspoken agreement in the form of a nod of his head, and just as they were about to turn on their horses, the three Knights that had not been effected by Link's Light Arrows or Risek's magical attack began to glow.

The event took place in only a few moments time, but to be properly described, deserved more wording than could have been allotted during that time frame. Their armor seemed to shimmer and wisps of bright whites and blues that rose up and around them into the air, forming the very distinguishable shape of a horned and spiked Dragon's head, one which took off swiftly toward Link and Risek with an ominous growl that was as loud as a boom of thunder.

The result was Nairim and Frost both becoming heavily startled, rearing up hard as they moved without their master's control. Link and Risek - already reeling from the sound alone as the bright wisps of magic dissolved around them - lost their grips and were easily thrown, flying from each of their mounts backs to land about ten feet apart from one another in the grass and on the dirt, the wind knocked from their lungs in the process.

Trying to recover as quickly as possible, Link shook his head and pushed himself up on his arms, glancing about to try to regain his bearings. He was much less worried about their retreating horses, and more so about the Prince who had apparently hit his head in the fall if the way he'd raised his hand to it was any indication. After all, he was much closer to the incoming threat of the Knights than Link was now because of where he'd landed.

To make things worse, the Knight leading the charge was apparently ready to fire some type of white orb down at the Prince, and Link reached for his blade and pushed himself forward in a sprint. Moving as quickly as he could, the Master Sword came free just as that white orb of magic was released forward and toward Risek who'd only just then been able to push himself over.

Risek glanced up just in time to see the white orb heading toward him, his brows narrowing as he braced himself for impact when Link leapt over him and drew his blade down against the orb with a deft precision. The Master Sword knocked that orb of magic away from the both of them and toward another Knight, slamming into him just as he was nearing, which made him veer off of his path for several feet.

Taking in a deep breath, Link looked back for only a moment before he offered his hand to Risek, who took it without complaint and pulled himself up.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine," Risek said with a slight tone of sarcasm to his voice, pulling his own sword out. "That was a nice trick."

Link had decided to use a little more magic to try to get the fight more even, his fists bursting into flame when he said, "It's come in handy on several occasions." Without wasting a moment after the response, he moved forward several feet before balling his fist and turning up his arm, bringing up a barrage of flame before that wall began bursting out and around him in a dome of fire that made the horses of the other Knights who'd been riding into the area draw up and come to a stop.

The horses let a loud whinny and - in a sort of revenge for what they'd done to Link and Risek earlier - threw the Knights from their backs, whom went rolling across the ground, their armor clinking a bit. In seeing this, Risek knew that now was their chance to try and rid themselves of some of the enemies, and he moved in to do so while they were distracted.

Link wasn't far behind the Prince, pulling his shield off of his back in order to do battle. Risek was the first to strike, bringing his cutlass down against one of their foes only for the blade to stop in midair as the Knight lifted his arm. Narrowing his brows at the unseen object holding his cutlass at bay, Risek watched a weapon forming out of nothing into the Knight's hand, which happened to be a spiked mace.

Sneering over the sight of the magical armament, Risek drew back just before the Knight could turn his arm and swing at him, evading the blow before drawing his sword back around and ducking a second swing with the - apparently very tall - Knight who stood once again from where he'd fallen.

Link had engaged with one of the Knights whom was wielding a battle axe that - like Risek's opponent - had formed out of thin air seemingly. Lifting his shield, Link blocked a blow from the weapon before drawing the Master Sword to the side and through the Knight's armor, cutting it open easily with the legendary blade. Following the blow, he felt a release of pressure from against his shield as his foe drew his arm back and went to swing at him a second time, which he evaded by rolling.

Link realized that another Knight was riding toward him as well, and he was about to duck when bolts were fired over his head from a crossbow, toward the Knight. They flew right into his helmet, and though they didn't seem to do too much damage, they caused the rider to miss Link completely with a swing of his sword, doing exactly as Risek had wanted it to.

Link would have thanked Risek for the help, but he had to focus on his foe first, though the distraction was enough to allow the axe wielding menace to grab Link by the throat without warning. Risek had just ducked a blow of the mace his own enemy had pitted against him when he saw Link in midair. Rolling to the side, he narrowed his brows over the sight, knowing he had to do something to help.

Link fought against the powerful grip, but he noticed something while he was being choked that surprised him. The area of the metal in the Knight's breastplate he'd drawn his blade through was slowly closing itself up, somehow mending itself magically, and he couldn't help but go a bit wide eyed. But before he could gather his thoughts over it, Link was thrown through the air, and toward Risek, who'd been about to intervene on his behalf.

Risek had been intercepted at first by his foe, and in his effort to get to Link, he used more of the explosive magic he'd learned from Hyddigan all that time ago. Charging forth, he let the blast of blue energy explode from his arms, which knocked the Knight away and across the grass, allowing him the free path to attack the enemy which now held Link in the air hostage.

But the move to throw the Hylian surprised the Prince, who was knocked over with Link's weight when he hit, the both of them slipping across the dirt and grass, their weapons going flying. The instance only made the situation that much worse, the two realizing they were outnumbered to begin with, and the armor that the riders wore was apparently powerful indeed, but to have lost their blades didn't bode well at all. Of course, Risek still had his crossbow, and a few more magic tricks up his sleeves so to speak, and Link wasn't without his alternate forms of weaponry himself. But somehow they both knew that this was indeed a lost cause at this point in the game.

Link looked up, as Risek did. When they both glanced around, they didn't like what they saw. Not only had the riders regained their mounts, but they were also moving in toward them now.

Surrounded completely.

Link pushed himself up from the ground as the White Knights formed a circle around the two of them, their horned horses beating their hooves into the ground with loud thumps while they took their positions, the sound slowly growing softer and softer, signifying their quarry's entrapment. Risek stepped back toward Link as this happened, and they heard the sound of air being sliced as they found blades and weapons such as maces held out threateningly and pointing at them, the warning issued loud and clear even though it was unspoken.

"Well this is nice," Link commented blandly.

"I couldn't agree more," came Risek's sarcastic response.

Amidst their enemies surrounding them, one Knight was outside of their circle, riding in closer now before coming to a stop and dismounting his horse. Standing up straight and fairly tall once his armored feet hit the ground, he turned and walked toward his men and then between them, stepping toward the two standing at the center of the ring.

Link and Risek both watched the Knight warily, his footfalls against the grass clinking with the metal armor he wore. His own suit seemed to differ from the rest however, bigger pauldrons standing out from his shoulders at an angular cut, and the design was much more glorified than the rest. This decoration led Link and Risek to assume that he was their leader, and Link looked over at his companion before he asked, "You think we can take him?"

Risek snorted, "I would dearly like to try."

"Hylian," came the voice of the Knight through their words which sounded warbled and charged with some kind of power they had never encountered before, a sound which got Link's attention considering the name of the race he'd spoken. Looking up and over at the commanding Knight with a defiant face, he listened as the White Knight asked him, "_Where_ is this relic?"

He held out his gauntlet covered hand after asking that question, the fingertips of which were clawed. Above his palm formed a transparent representation of the golden Triforce, and Link looked at it quietly, and then to the Knight's helmet covered face, his brows narrowing. So, they _were_ after the Triforce after all. Taking in a breath, Link told the Knight exactly what he thought.

"Just why would I tell you? Even if I knew, you're no friend of mine."

The Knight was silent for a moment, lowering his hand. With the magical image of the Triforce fading, he informed Link, "Because if you don't, you will perish."

Link scoffed slightly, looking around at the group of powerful Knights surrounding them, then back to their leader. "Fine, you want to know where it is? It's in Hyrule," he paused, then added, "somewhere. Good luck on your quest."

It was no sooner than a second later that Link found the clawed gauntlet the Knight possessed enclosing around his throat and his feet leaving the ground. Choking and grabbing the Knight's wrist, he heard metal clinking as Risek had moved to try to aide him, but found a sword threatening him to stand back. Turning a glare toward the Knight who'd threatened him, then toward the leader, Risek asked in the Althorian language, "_Do you Knights truly hail from Althor?_"

Their leader glanced at Risek, and he responded in the same tongue, "_We hail from the purest lands that Kingdom once had to offer, though if you're being general, Prince Risek Miason, then yes, we do_."

"_Then by royal command, you __**will**__ release him. __**Now**__."_

The leader watched Risek for a moment through his eye slitted helmet, though no eyes were visible to be seen beneath that metal, and Link tried to gasp for his breath, wishing he understood what they were saying because he'd like to be able to breath again. But whatever it was must have been good because he suddenly found the hand choking him releasing his throat. Link went tumbling to the ground, and he coughed when he'd landed, trying to gasp in his breath. Looking up at the leader with disdain as he pushed himself up, it was then that he heard the commanding Knight speaking something further in Althorian to the Prince, and when he did, Link sighed, realizing he would love to have Zelda there at right about that time.

"_For now, Prince Risek Miason, I will show good faith since you are, in fact, of the ancient royal blood we've served for generations. In return, we hope that you will return that good faith, as you are a noble adversary, and would make a powerful ally. We want what your Kingdom wants, prosperity for its people, and to stand tall and proud in the eyes of the Goddesses. I offer you this one, rare chance to join us."_

Risek sneered at the offer, staring at the Knight through narrowed green eyes, and finally, he returned a reply, though it was in common speak, and not in Althorian, to prove he'd meant what he'd said.

"I'd rather ally myself with this Hylian than with you. If you wanted what my people wanted so badly, you would not be operating outside of my Kingdom's controls. You're simply a disgrace to what it stands for."

"Very well," came the reply. "If neither of you are willing to cooperate, then I am left with little choice."

Link sighed, knowing what that meant. The commanding Knight turned and went toward his mount, grabbing the reigns of the duel horned white steed, but before he could swing up, Risek stepped forward and demanded something he was unable to stop himself from.

"What did you do to Marcelle?"

Slowly, the leader of the White Knights looked over at Risek, and let what sounded to be a scoff of breath. "Marcelle? The leader of your Royal Knights? He perished easily, so if you're worried over a painful death, then don't. We are not sadists."

Risek's expression had turned to one of fury, and before he could take off after the leader who was now mounting his horse, Link grabbed his arm in one hand and lifted his own arm around his chest in order to hold him back. Risek didn't turn on Link to push him away from blocking his path, though he was slow to yield, yelling the words, "You murdering bastards!"

"Murdering?," came the warped voice, "I think not, your highness. After all, treachery could easily be put to you for allying yourself with a foreigner over your own people."

Link sneered up at the leader of the Knights, and couldn't help but reply, "You're not his people. Besides, if you were really so righteous, then you'd take off your mask and show who you truly are. He may be allying himself with a foreigner, but he's in that foreigner's land, and there's a lot more of us Hylians about who are just waiting to get a chance to bring you down for what you've done. So don't be so quick to judge."

The leader scoffed, taking his reigns up and turning on his horse without pause after Link's words to him. When he did, he called back to his men disdainfully, "Kill them," and then turned and rode out from the ring that had surrounded the two in question. As he did, his contingency began to move in closer, and Link and Risek got back to back, their weapons still located outside of the ring where they couldn't currently reach them.

"Any bright ideas?"

Link lifted a brow at the question, replying, "I'm thinking."

"Then think faster."

"You're not helping."

It was in that moment that a bright flash of light blinded them, including Link and Risek, and the horses became startled, whinnying and backing away. As this happened, a figure none of them had ever seen before appeared in the center of the ring with Link and Risek. Still blind however, the two men only knew there was someone there at all when that masked person grabbed them.

"Come on," they heard, and the stranger threw up their arm, a second flash taking place quickly, one which made the three of them vanish into a puff of smoke.

Looking back, the commander glanced toward the center of the ring his men had created, and let an angry growl, "Find them!" Turning his head, he balled his fist, letting an angry snarl. "They can't have gone far."


	30. Alone

_Chapter 31 - Alone_

The Knight's began to disperse, and in seeing this from the hillside near by, hidden within the shrubbery formed about them by bushes, a few trees, and several rocks jutting up from the ground, Link and Risek saw them moving off to search, the figure who'd allowed them to escape tapping Link's shoulder to draw his attention. Looking back, seeing the masked and black clad individual with a flat breastplate over his chest that bore the insignia of the Sheikah, he watched the man waving his hand to follow him.

Deciding to trust the man, he nodded at Risek and worked his way down the hill, following the figure away from the scene where they were much less likely to be found. Once they got toward a line of tall rocks, Link walked around and to the other side for further cover, watching the figure the entire time.

There was a mantle on their rescuer's shoulders that had a high cut collar which masked the bottom half of their face, and the hair was covered by a clothe wrapping, completely concealed from view. He walked over to a horse tethered to a tree, a brown stallion that was saddled and nicely groomed, and began to untie it. Now that the three of them were in the clear for the moment, though silence was a necessary key in keeping it that way until the White Knight's had really moved on, Link felt safer about questioning the individual with them now.

"Who are you?," he asked, glancing over to see that Risek looked just as curious about the matter. Turning around, the figure removed the mantle that had been shielding his face just to reveal that it was actually Zelda.

"Zelda?," both he and Risek asked at the same time.

She nodded, pursing her lips to the side just a little while she waved a hand in explanation, "I had a bad feeling something like this might happen, so I decided to ride out to find you. Of course, I knew I wouldn't be able to go alone without my Father demanding that I stay put, so I used a disguise and snuck away."

Link and Risek were both staring at her in confusion, though Link's was a little more prominent than Risek's was. Stepping over to her, he shook his head and said, "It makes me a little mad too. You could get hurt."

"I didn't though," Zelda shook her head at him, "and now you're both fine. Not to mention we know what they want and that they have no idea where it is. Which is a very good thing."

Link sighed, shaking his head despite her logic. "That might be true, but it doesn't change the fact that you could _also_ get hurt on the way back to the Palace. Have you done this before?"

Zelda shook her head no at him, "Not really, I've only thought about it."

Link didn't look too happy. In seeing his expression, Zelda went on to add in an attempt to sooth his upset, "Don't get angry. At least you're both alright. I had a bad feeling, I couldn't just sit in the Palace and wait for you and Risek to get hurt."

"You should have," Link drew out stubbornly. "Risek and I were about to overcome them."

Link looked over at Risek who'd lifted a brow, uncertain even _he_ believed that remark. As he watched, Zelda sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, lifting a brow at her fiancee, replying, "I could see that when I arrived."

Link turned his face back to her, then he narrowed his brows and argued, "Regardless, I don't like the idea that I might leave the Palace one day, and you'll get a bad feeling and come chasing after me just to get yourself hurt, Zelda."

Her brows wrinkled together, her eyes a bit defensive as she stared at him, and without realizing it, she settled her fists into her hips. "If this is your way of thanking me then perhaps I _will_ just sit in my chambers the next time and not even worry about you."

Zelda couldn't help herself. She realized he was worried about her, but they'd been through much more dangerous situations than this before, and he was acting as if she were incompetent almost. She turned around and turned to walk away, but Link took her arm. "Where are you going?"

"Back to the Palace," she replied, pulling at her arm, "So let go."

Risek lifted a brow as they argued, realizing they'd forgotten he was there, and he wondered just how long this would last. Through his thoughts, Link replied, "Not without us, you're not."

"I hate to interrupt," Risek started, "but Link is right, my lady. If those Knights find you, disguise or not, they'll more than likely overcome you. It would be safer to wait with us."

Zelda knew he was right, but she was angry and honestly wanted to duck out of Link's sight. She felt embarrassed and silly, even if she'd helped them, because Link had not only reprimanded her in front of Risek, but also because of the things he'd said. But she couldn't, though she did tug her arm away from Link's hand and turned away, crossing her arms over her chest with indignance.

In seeing he'd somehow upset her, Link took in a breath, but before he could speak, he heard a sound. It made all three of them grow quiet, and they looked up, hearing Risek saying the words softly, "Take cover."

They all moved to duck down behind the trees and rocks they'd been shielding themselves behind, quietly settling there, and despite the fact that he knew she was angry at him, Link had taken Zelda's shoulders when they'd ducked. Trotting hooves could be heard, and Link looked over at Risek who'd settled across the path from them, seeing him shrug a shoulder to tell them that he couldn't see anything from his vantage point.

Deciding he'd have to take a quick look, Link pushed himself up slowly over the rock he was currently ducked behind, and when he did, his eyes spotted Risek's black stallion heading over the hillside and down toward them. Not long after, Frost also appeared, the sight a very welcome and relieving one to the Hylian Knight.

Link sighed out his relief, saying, "It's our horses."

Standing up from their hiding spots, Risek looked over at the animals, taking the reigns to his own before he said, "It doesn't surprise me. Nairim has always been steadfast to me."

Link, walking toward Frost, asked on the way as he stood between his and Zelda's horses, "Does he constantly hit your shoulder with his nose?"

"No, but he has been known to follow me from the stables before and give the stable masters a good bit of trouble because of it."

Zelda, had she been in a better mood, would have smiled over the story, but instead, she took the reigns to her horse, considering how Epona liked to follow Link sometimes, but Frost seemed to remain behaved for the most part. While she thought of that, she heard Risek asking her a question about the animals.

"Frost is yours, isn't he?"

Zelda nodded, "Yes, but Epona's carrying a fowl, so Link doesn't ride her out on his missions anymore until she's given birth."

"I see," Risek replied, turning Nairim to head back up the hill quietly. "Let's retrieve our weapons then and head back to the Palace. The Knights can't be too close if our horses made it back so easily." Seeming unaffected by Zelda's sneaking out of the Palace for the time being, or the argument she'd had with Link over it, also knowing that asking what he had in mind could help to ease the air around them, he added in question, "Did you manage to find out anything before you left, my lady?"

"Yes," Zelda told them as they began mounting their horses. "But you'll have to see it for yourself. We left the books out for you."

"Good, then we should take a look when we get back, to try to pinpoint any weaknesses, because they seem to be rather formidable."

Link knew Risek was right about that, watching the Prince while he began to ride up the hill. But he still had the situation with Zelda on his mind, concerned that she was still mad at him, and so he wanted to take advantage of their moment alone to find out if she was on the verge of turning him into a frog or not.

"Zelda, I–"

"Let's just go," Zelda told him on a calm, logical voice, "If you need to reprimand me again, then you may do so before my father once you give him your report," she added just as cooly, goading Frost off before more could be said. While she went, Link sighed out his breath over the words. So _that_ was why she'd been so mad. Link supposed he could have waited until they were alone, but at the same time, it had worried him to see that she'd left the Palace without any sort of protection. But he'd just have to wait to talk to her about it later.

---

Aggie was the new Captain of Althor's Knights following Marcelle's death, a fairly smart man with brown hair and a noble sense of duty. He'd taken up the chores of Captain when Marcelle had vanished and was presumed to be dead, and he was the closest friend Mirian had near by aside from Gabriel.

He was the only one Mirian trusted completely. She wasn't sure how to explain it, but ever since Risek had left, things seemed different somehow, deteriorated in a way. She didn't feel safe anymore, as if she was being watched within her own home, and while the Palace was far from hers, she'd lived there for most of her life, only vacationing at a home in the hillsides that a friend owned from time to time which she knew she could move to if she wasn't so intent on keeping her job as the head chambermaid.

With it becoming so uncomfortable as they had been, she was worried over several things. Mirian refused to leave a meal she would make for the King unchecked if anyone was around, because she'd come to fear that he was being poisoned somehow. Still, his condition hadn't improved though he hadn't had any angry outbursts in a while now. But he was too weak, and ate very little anymore. The Salt Fish Roll she'd made for him had been the most he'd eaten in a week, and he'd said his appetite had simply seemed to die on him.

It was during one of her duties in bringing him food and taking old trays from his room that she overheard words being spoken by Lukas, and her decision not to ask the Grand Duke about anything became much more reinforced. The words couldn't have been mistaken, spoken between himself and his brother Gerild, and the words caused Mirian's heart to sink into the pit of her stomach.

"He needs to be kept alive. Just incapacitated. This is the only way we can keep things in true check without interference."

Those had been the first words she'd heard, and following them, she'd hidden by the door to see what else she might have picked up on, which was Gerild's reply.

"Yes, you're right. Charlain does keep a close watch though. But in the meantime, there are those that are growing suspicious and weary."

"Then we'll silence them, Gerild, and keep their tongues tied."

"How?"

"By raiding their villages for traitors to the crown of course. If someone is suspicious, we'll turn their words against them, simple enough."

Mirian's eyes went wide over this. Lukas couldn't seriously be ready and willing to attack his own people, could he? She made her way from the area as quietly and quickly as possible, wishing now more than ever that Risek was back, and for more reasons than one.

She could only get the feeling they'd been talking about Seriun as well, but she also, and still, didn't have solid proof. But what else could they have been speaking of? It made absolutely no sense, and that aside, keeping _anyone_ alive but incapacitated wasn't a noble thing to do to begin with. So in placing those thoughts together, whomever it was they were keeping incapacitated, the only question she had left was _how_ were they doing so? Was it with poisons? Or perhaps magics? Maybe a combination of the two?

It vexed her enough however that she had to speak with Aggie about it. The Captain had agreed that he too sensed something wrong with the entire picture, things apparently emerging in Risek's absence that the Prince's presence and control over the Kingdom beforehand wouldn't have allowed to rise. Aggie could only tell her that he promised, on pain of death, to continue upholding his vows to Seriun, and asked Mirian to come with him to be kept somewhere safe.

Mirian had to decline, despite the fact that she knew things could go wrong in the Palace with so much conspiracy floating about now. It was because of that very conspiracy that she had to stay to see what more she could learn, not to mention keeping those loyal to Seriun in the Palace safe, as well as Gabriel. She'd become a sort of surrogate mother to the young boy in Risek's absence, and while she'd been close to him beforehand, she found herself trying to soothe and comfort him much more so than before now that things had become as dreary as they were.

But in that respect, she felt she'd drawn Charlain's attention. In a manner, she believed Charlain may have become jealous, feeling it should be _her_ place to ward her brother, and not the head chambermaid's. For that reason alone, and in the effort of avoiding Charlain's attention, Mirian told Gabriel not to cling too tightly to her. Gabriel seemed to understand completely, and treated Charlain with a little more acceptance after that.

Mirian felt so badly for putting a thirteen year old into such a position, but she did feel it had a good cause. After all, until she knew the truth of Charlain's involvement in anything malicious - which she just couldn't wrap her head around it because it involved Charlain's own father if she was right about the situation - she thought that the brother and sister _should_ try to bond. Her own brother was very close to her after all, so she wanted Gabriel to have the same type of relationship.

It was Charlain she was worried about however.

But Mirian never refused helping the young man to get ready for bed. Though he was getting older, he still enjoyed her company in the evenings, and she could only imagine it was due to the comfort she offered him. He was adamant about not having her sit with him until he fell asleep, after all, he was a capable young man and could go to sleep on his own, but he liked for her to make sure everything was cleaned in his room. Either that, or it was an excuse to keep her closer for longer.

Mirian didn't mind it either way. In performing these tasks, she found herself sitting in his room after he'd fallen asleep without warning. She had to put his legs under the blankets and tuck him in, and she noticed a picture on his bedside table. It was a drawing of himself and his brother and sister, one that Seriun had done which, for such a quick sketch, looked extremely detailed and true to life.

Mirian found herself sitting down to look at it, a smile on her face. The picture was dated to be three years old, when Risek was twenty and Gabriel was ten. In seeing the picture, she realized just how much alike Risek and Gabriel looked despite their different mothers, and even when Risek was ten, he looked much like the boy in the picture she held.

Mirian began to remember growing up around the older Prince of Althor, and how he'd become what he was now. She'd heard he was a bit more talkative at a younger age, though he was six when she was born and she never met his mother. But from what she understood, Risek became a bit more quiet when Lasiria passed on, and over the years simply became more and more austere in demeanor. He never told anyone anything he'd felt about his mother's passing though, or why he'd become so quiet. But Seriun said he'd sensed a deep loss there, and knew that Risek was simply handling his grief in his own way, though if there was more to the tale, it would come out in its own time.

Mirian herself knew from personal experience though that Risek wasn't the Stone Prince that the people claimed him to be. When dealing with royal affairs, yes, he came off as very aloof and serious. But with his family and in his personal life, he had a very handsome smile and a heartwarming laugh. Mirian thought about that face for a moment, and let a soft sigh, settling the picture on the table again where it had come from.

Ever since she could remember, she'd had a fondness for the Prince, one which had grown into an affectionate love by the time she was eleven years old, just after Risek had taken off to sailing on The Siren. During his years away with her brother on the merchant vessel, Mirian realized just how silly and impossible her growing love and affections for the Prince was, and she began to withdraw from those feelings. Once, after he'd left, she'd been reprimanded by another girl who was her age, picking that, as Mirian had been very sad when her brother and Risek left, Mirian was in love with a Prince, but she was a pauper. That was when she realized just how painful the situation could be if she allowed herself to love Risek, and from that day on, denied herself any admittance that she was ever fond of him.

Until he'd returned.

The years he was gone, Mirian had been able to cool the girlish ardors growing inside of her, and felt she'd been able to place herself where she should be - at a level far below a royal. But when Risek came back with her brother, she once again remembered those feelings, and at the age of fourteen, they hit her harder than ever.

So she refused to address him as if she knew him personally, telling Marcelle that he should do the same even though her brother claimed she sounded stupid saying 'My Prince' all of the time. Still, Mirian refused to address him otherwise, and Risek never seemed to mind, so in the end, everything worked well for her. Well, perhaps not for her, but it at least kept things flowing the way they should have.

That pesky flame she hadn't been able to douse though continued to burn, and when Marcelle died, she'd felt the urge to cry on his shoulder, actually, to sob. But Mirian couldn't allow herself to look that weak in front of the man, especially not with the way he'd taken the news, which was in a very dignified manner. He'd been kind enough to tell her personally, and then asked if she'd needed anything, and the words she told him weren't the words she wanted to say. She said she would like to talk if that was alright. What she wanted to say though would have been more along the lines of 'I need you to hold me because I feel like I'm completely broken and I don't know what to do about it'.

Learning of her brother's death had been much harder than learning of her father's because she was completely alone now. That loneliness was coming close to strangling her as well. She managed to keep it at bay when she was working, taking care of Seriun and making sure to watch after Gabriel or doing the jobs she had to. But at night, she was crumbling to pieces, many times crying herself to sleep, wanting to see her brother again and hug him.

She couldn't go to Risek though, despite the fact that she knew her brother's death had hit him hard as well. She couldn't bother him. He was far too busy, and not to mention, she had become as distant as she could from him to begin with, so surely the man wouldn't think she'd go to him now for some means of comfort. Also, that need for comfort was the last reason she wouldn't turn to him - because she might admit something in a moment of vulnerability and weakness.

She could see Risek's face now in learning the truth of her feelings for him, and if he ever gave her that look - cold and disapproving - she would completely die inside. She couldn't bare a broken heart on top of the loss she was suffering. No, it was better never to breath a word of it, and besides, he'd gone to Hyrule with the prospect for a bride, the Princess Zelda. Mirian could only hope that, if it came to be true that he found engagement to another royal, she could finally rest her heart in knowing that as impossible as it already was, it would be a hundred times more so with a soon to be wife about.

Mirian went to her own room with the thought in mind. She completely hated it, loathed it, though she'd never hate this Princess for being set to marry a man she'd never met before. That wasn't her fault at all. Mirian just hoped that Zelda might have been able to love Risek the same amount that she did, because he deserved it and so much more.

But engaged or not, Mirian worried for the home Risek would be returning to. She hoped she wouldn't have to tell him any bad news once he arrived, but she had the sinking feeling that she would if these rumors persisted. Something was brewing in the distance for Althor, and while Mirian wasn't sure how strong the storm was or how long it would last, she had the feeling that the effects were going to be grievous for anyone involved.


	31. Diplomatic Decision

_**A/N**__: Just a note for everyone that I'm sorry for the lack of updates in this fic recently. Real life comes atcha fast. I'm going to try to get some more of it up, I just don't know if I'll be able to do it as consistently as before. But thanks again to everyone who's left comments to me asking for more of it, I've been meaning to get around to it, just been busy!_

_Chapter 32 - Diplomatic Decision_

The doors to the dungeon squeaked open and Zelda walked into the corridor with three guards flanking her sides and one just behind her. She was in better spirits now after her argument with her fiancee before they'd gone back to the palace, though she still needed to talk to Link about the situation as soon as she got the chance. But the reason for her upped spirits was that he'd done something for her she both thanked him for as well as questioned him over.

When they'd gone to the Throne Room, Link gave his full report to Lyonel and Hadinaru simultaneously. He reported that the Knights seemed to be looking for the Triforce after all, and that they were aided in escape by a masked person who never identified themselves, but wore a breastplate with the symbol for the Sheikah people across it. Link said that he and Risek had no idea who that person was.

He'd withheld the truth for her, and she wasn't sure if he'd done so because he didn't want her to get into trouble, or because he wanted to prove to her that he wasn't out to reprimand her. But it had been a kind gesture nonetheless, and Zelda's mood had improved because of it. She just had to ask him exactly why he'd done so, and then discuss her apparent need to help him just as much as he'd want to protect her if the roles were reversed.

Shortly following that report, Impa told them she'd been looking up Dragon scales, and one of the books she read reported that the possible powers you could gain from using them included mind control. That seemed to be the catalyst that caused both Lindon and Tenio to attack Link and Zelda respectively, and once learned, Hadinaru issued the command to have both parties released from the dungeons.

Zelda asked to have that responsibility personally because she wanted to show good faith - especially to Lindon - who she really held no ill will towards. Hadinaru agreed with her and allowed it, sending three guards with her to perform the task. Zelda headed out of the Throne Room before anyone else in order to complete it, and after releasing Tenio who left with Jada, she headed to Lindon's cell and found the man sketching a picture.

Allowing the guard to step toward the door with the keys, she asked, "What are you drawing?"

Looking up, seeing the four of them, Lindon blinked. "Oh, My Princess. I asked Link for more paper to work on, " he stopped when the doors opened, looking slightly confused. But finally, he continued, "A picture of you. Am I free to go?"

Zelda gave him a bright smile and a nod of her head. "Yes, the picture you drew for us before told us all that we needed to know. Those Knights have a form of mind control to be used against people. That's what happened to you. But you seem to no longer be under those effects, so my Father issued the command to have you released, and he's going to have you brought to the Throne Room now because he wants a word or two if this is acceptable."

"Oh my," Lindon drew out, pulling his hat from his head respectfully as he stepped out with the guards and then looked at the Princess. "With me?"

Zelda nodded again, then looked at the paper he held. "You were drawing me?"

"Ah, uh," he looked down at the only half drawn picture, nodding his head, "Yes. It's not completed. I just don't think any pictures of you in the Herald ever do you justice."

"May I see it anyway?," Zelda asked him.

"Oh, of course," he nodded, handing the work in progress to her.

Lindon watched as Zelda lifted it up and smiled, taking the image in. It wasn't finished, but it was a very good portrait so far, much better than she felt she could have ever done, and she heard the guard to her right muttering his approval, which made her chuckle softly. Nodding her head, she glanced back over at Lindon and handed it back to him.

"You're a wonderful artist. It's a shame your hands hurt you so much to draw like this."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Lindon replied, rubbing the back of his head a little shyly. "You know, Link asked to pay me to draw one of you just for him."

Those words surprised her a little. "He did?"

With a nod, Lindon shrugged, "I wouldn't charge him though. I mean, he's been kind to me. It's the least I could do to repay him."

Zelda found that extremely flattering of Link somehow, to know he wanted a picture of her he could look at and put on his wall perhaps. "Well, thank you very much, Lindon. He chose a good artist to do it." She then smiled and motioned to the guards, informing him, "These men will take you to the Throne Room now."

Lindon shook his head at the Princess, "No, thank you, for believing an old man and helping him. I'm still terribly embarrassed and sorry for what happened, even if it wasn't my fault."

With a smile, Zelda stepped over to him and leaned up to place a kiss against his cheek. Lindon went a little wide eyed, then he blushed and bowed his head. As she stepped back, he told her, "You really do embarrass me."

Chuckling softly, Zelda waved her hands at the guards as she told the old farmer, "Don't be. I just hope that we'll see each other again soon."

"You and I both, Princess Zelda," he replied, smiling as he turned to walk off with the guards, and Zelda watched him going.

Sighing out her breath, she turned in the opposite direction to head toward the stairs that would lead her up to the direction that her chamber was in since she needed to go there so she could change her clothing for the evening, While she went, she told the guard she was with that she thought Lindon seemed extremely nice and that it was sad he'd had to be held in the dungeon for so long.

When she didn't get a response, she turned to look back at the guard, but gasped loudly as she passed Harold's cell and found him grasping her arm without warning to stop her. "My lady!"

"Ha-Harold?" She asked, staring at him for a moment, seeing that he looked worried about something. Actually, he looked completely frightened.

Letting go of her arm, Harold nodded his head, saying, "His eyes," he sounded terrified, "his eyes are _white_!"

That got Zelda's attention completely, and she stepped in closer to the bars, placing her hand on his arm, "_Whose _eyes are white, Harold? Tell me."

Harold looked down, close to shedding tears, and Zelda waited for his answer, a look of concern on her face. Finally, she heard him whispering, "The guard's."

"The...," she trailed off, her eyes going slightly wide when she realized what he was saying. Standing up straight, Zelda went to turn around, but she stopped before she could. Instead, she just stood there, a muffled grunt escaping her lips, her expression fading. Slowly, she looked down to see the sharp point of a sword jutting out of her lower chest.

The pain was excruciating to the point of actually being numb - or maybe she was going into shock - and it drowned out Harold's screams as he scrambled into the corner of his cell and crouched down, covering his head with his hand's as if he were completely terrified beyond words. But the pain she felt then was nothing compared to that of when the sword was suddenly jerked out of her.

Her legs had gone limp and she tumbled forward, hitting the bars of the cell before slumping onto her side, barely able to move. She could taste the copper of blood in the back of her throat, the urge to cough it up and spit it out there, but one she couldn't give into, weakness wracking her body.

Slowly, she glanced over, seeing the guard she'd been with standing over her, his eyes completely white.

She grew cold as she watched him lifted the sword he'd just impaled her with into the air, tip pointed down, and in those moments, let a soft whimper, unable to watch but also unable to look away, her panicked mind sending out a telepathic message.

_Link...Link, help..._

The talks in the Throne Room began to fall on deaf ears. Link was walking down the red carpet toward the door with Risek behind him, stepping out of the room and into the corridor, when his brows narrowed. He and Risek had been leaving the King to his conversation in order to go find the Ambassador and have him summoned for information over the situation, when he felt a terrible sensation eating its way through his gut.

Something wasn't right, and as he entered the hallway with the Althorian royal behind him, he slowly came to a stop in his steps.

"Zelda," he whispered, and turned quickly, moving down the corridor at high speed.

"What?" Risek asked, confused by Link's sudden change in direction, though he followed in behind him anyway, wondering what could have set the Knight to moving so quickly.

"Something's wrong," came Link's response as they moved into the stairwell and began descending the steps. "I just heard her, she's in trouble."

Risek knew Hylians were telepathic, so he didn't question it, just followed and trusted Link's senses. Moving through the corridors and eventually down through the doors that led to the winding stairwell and into the dungeons, they weren't completely prepared for the scene they saw when they got there.

"_**No!**_"

The word rang out through the dungeons and even though it was so loud, Link felt as if he hadn't even yelled anything, not with enough force anyway. He didn't see anything but her, all of his vision blinded except for her still form laying on the ground, and the moments it took him to reach her, in his world, seemed to take hours.

He wasn't scared however. Link was _terrified_.

She couldn't be dead! She _couldn't_! She was alive, she had to be, because he was, wasn't he? Link didn't know, because his heart had stopped. Dropping down by her side and gathering her up, her bodice completely covered in blood, a trail of that crimson dribbling from her mouth, he pulled her up and cradled her limp body against himself, tears burning his eyes.

"_Zelda_!" Looking her face over, Link yelled her name. "Open your eyes!"

Not even the Triforce of Courage nor the Goddess who had fashioned it herself could have stopped the claws of fear that had clutched Link's heart in that moment. He didn't care what had happened, or how it had - not in that moment. No, all he could think about was finding any trace of life in her that he could, and restoring it completely.

"Please," he repeated himself urgently when she didn't do as he'd just demanded. But his voice took on a much weaker note and his words broke on a sob, "Please Mira, answer me..."

"Li...nk."

He stopped and stared at her, clutching her more tightly when his name sounded, and she whispered it again when he looked at her face, her eyes slightly opening and then closing again.

"Link, that fairy you won in the Market," Risek suggested, and the words almost startled Link, so consumed with finding Zelda in the position that he had that he'd forgotten the Prince had even been there. "Will it help her?"

Risek hadn't been nearly as effected as Link had by Zelda's condition, but of course, he was still completely shocked by the discovery. She had been impaled on a sword through her gut, and a soldier lay dead next to her with a sword still wedged in his own. Honestly, as Risek had knelt down with Link about two feet away from them, he'd thought Zelda was already dead as well, especially because of the broken body next to her. But having heard his name on her lips proving that she was still alive even if only slightly, the fairy had popped into his mind, and he mentioned it to Link.

Link couldn't have been more grateful for the words when Risek spoke them, not to mention that Zelda had given him the fairy beforehand when he'd gone to retrieve the Master Sword so he now actually had it with him. If he'd had to go get it, he was fairly certain that Zelda _would_ have died.

Quickly, he pulled it out and tore the cork out of the bottle, placing Zelda's blood covered hand over the top. Risek watched it intently, wanting to see what would happen with a bit of curiosity, and when the fairy made contact with her skin, she rose up into the air. The little pink ball of light began to spread magical energies back down into the Princess, spiraling up and through the air before floating away peacefully with her task accomplished. Watching her go, Risek let his eyes draw away from the fairy and down to the two Hylians, Link's forehead against Zelda's temple, apparently trying to recover from his own trauma.

It couldn't have been more clear to the Prince in that moment just how much the two of them loved one another. Despite the fact that Zelda was laying in a pool of her own blood, staining her clothing and her skin, Link rocking her gently while he held her, Risek couldn't help but wonder to himself how something as good as what they had could ever be considered wrong in any light.

Glancing away, deciding he didn't need to think about it in that moment, nor did he need to think about Mirian, he saw the corpse of the soldier laying on the floor, and decided that he should focus on trying to figure out exactly what had happened.

Standing up, he looked over when he heard a sniffle which hadn't come from Link or Zelda. In the cell next to where Zelda had been found was a man who looked as if he could use a serious wash and a shave, and Risek stepped over to the bars and asked, "You there, what happened?"

The man continued sniffling, whispering, "The Princess is gone, and all is lost."

Deciding not to inform the man any differently, Risek asked on a more stern tone of voice, "_How_ is she gone?"

"Run through, by her own. Stabbed in the back and she didn't have a chance."

Risek took in his breath, looking back at the dead soldier with narrowed brows, and he noticed that Link had looked up and over at the man in the cell as if he was completely shocked to hear this. That's when Risek heard the man adding, "He took his own life for his crime. I guess he didn't run the right person through."

Ignoring the crazy ramblings of the harmless prisoner who'd named himself Harold before, Link looked at Zelda when she put her hand on his arm, and he asked, "Love? Are you alright?"

"Yes," she whispered softly, "it's getting better."

The relief Link felt couldn't have been described in words, and Risek turned to him and said, "You should take her to her chambers. If you'd like, I'll inform her parents for you."

Link shook his head, "No, that shouldn't be your task." He pushed himself to his feet, gathering Zelda into his arms in a bridal style fashion, and then looked at Risek before he added, "You should go to your own people, and make sure this hasn't happened to them. I get the feeling that soldier didn't attack Zelda for nothing."

"Nor do I," Risek replied, "and I will go to see them, but I'll come back, since I can back your word on what was just said by this inmate."

"Alright." Link replied, turning and carrying the Princess down through the dungeon to leave it. Risek followed, and wondered to himself as he went while seeing them together and the apparent love they had for one another all over their faces, how he could have ever, even for duty, stepped in their way. While he wasn't typically a man who believed in such things as starcrossed lovers, he did know what he saw here, and had come to firmly believe - even if no one else would have ever approved of it - that these two must have been something along those lines.

He'd given Link a warning before, but now he somehow knew that warning hadn't been needed. Their marriage wouldn't be unbalanced by any social status, or if it was, that balance would be put back into place by how much they loved one another.

Risek found himself jealous still, but that envy wasn't malevolent, and in fact, he wanted to find a way to advocate the two of them. If, for outside forces bearing down on them, these two were ever broken apart, Risek could honestly say he would feel the urge to find the one responsible for it and demand they answer for what they'd done.

His thoughts were distracted however when they entered the corridors upstairs, and Link began carrying Zelda to her chambers from the stairwell. He couldn't figure out who had yelled louder, Link or Hadinaru. Link still had a few tears streaming down his cheeks from the shock of it all when her father came toward them to find out what had happened.

Risek did most of the talking for him even though Link had said it wasn't his duty, just because he knew he was the most emotionally stable of them at that moment.

Once he'd spoken with them, he moved on, wanting to find Arrik and make sure everything was fine for the Althorians staying in the palace currently. Moving toward the chambers they were staying in, Risek pushed the doors open and stepped inside, finding his Ambassador settled at a table, writing with a quill pen. Alarun was settled near by, apparently helping the man with his wording.

But Arrik glanced up, distracted from what he was doing when he saw the grim expression on his Prince's face. "Risek? What happened to you?"

"Nothing," Risek informed the man as he moved toward the table. "But something happened to Zelda." He came to a stop, and then waved his hand as he explained, "She was attacked. So I was curious if you'd seen anything strange going on?"

Arrik's brows narrowed over his eyes. "Zelda was attacked? Is she alright? And no, I haven't seen anything strange per say, why?"

With a shake of his head, Risek said, "I want you to gather everyone together and make sure they stay in their quarters. Something is happening to the people here, and I'm not so certain it won't effect us. So I want everyone accounted for."

Arrik gave a slow exhale of breath when Risek said that, looking down in thought over the words. Risek watched him, and then waited. Arrik exchanged a glance with Alarun, and the Ambassador then looked back over at his Prince. "I see. Then Zelda was attacked by one of her own, I take it."

"Yes, a guard under mind control we're fairly certain."

"Mind control?" Arrik stood up, looking fairly confused. "But these are Hylians. It would take a great deal of power to control the mind of a telepath."

The power of a dragon scale, Risek thought, but said nothing of it to his friend. "I know. That is why I want everyone accounted for, including what they've been up to, so that we'll know if there's any chance of this happening to us."

"Risek," Arrik sighed out, stepping around the desk and toward him, "I'll have them all brought here. But, there's something I'd like to discuss with you in private. Alarun, would you please see to this chore?"

"Yes sir," the younger man gave a nod of his head and began to leave the chambers. Risek watched him going, and once he'd left, he turned his green eyes back to Arrik.

"Something's wrong, isn't it?"

"No, not wrong," Arrik responded. "But difficult. This new development doesn't help matters any either. Risek, I'm afraid the talks have come to a stand still. Now, if you're right, and someone is controlling the minds of these people, then I'm going to be worried for your safety, no matter how much you try to encourage me that you'll be fine."

Risek felt he understood what Arrik was trying to say. It was time to return to Althor. The thought had him torn as well. Of course, Risek was eager to return home and see his father again, but with recent events, he was worried for Link and Zelda.

Somehow, he felt he'd made better friends with them than he'd expected to, and he wasn't completely certain why.

Arrik confirmed what Risek had been thinking then, saying, "I believe it's time for us to return home to deliberate further into the alliance."

When Risek hesitated, and then turned to walk toward the window as if in thought, Arrik couldn't help but chuckle, "This is a surprise."

Glancing back, Risek asked, "What's that?"

"You. I thought you would snap at the chance to go home and see your father. Relax though, if you're worried I'm saying an alliance isn't going to be formed, you're wrong. A stand still isn't something to worry about. It just means that things have to be reviewed at a greater depth. And I would like to see how Hyrule handles this problem before completely making up my mind. So in the meantime, I think it would be best for us to return to Althor for now."

Arrik was probably right, the Prince considered, looking outside again. But something still felt...unfinished somehow. "When should we leave?"

"I was thinking that tomorrow morning would be soon enough. No doubt Hadinaru's mind will not be on diplomacy after what's happened to his daughter, and he would likely want us to leave rather than risk our safety in a situation that he's still trying to figure out."

That was also very true. Giving a nod, Risek stood up straight and let his hands fall to his sides. "Then we should take our leave. But," turning, Risek cast his gaze at Arrik and said, "I think it might be wise to offer an invitation."

Risek had a thought, and he didn't think it was a bad one. Bring Zelda and Link to Althor. After all, she'd just been attacked, and Risek was uncertain of the motive, but he did know one thing for sure. The White Knights were looking for the Triforce, and they were looking in Hyrule. So if he, Link, and Zelda went to Althor, the chances were much less likely that they would find it.

Not to mention they couldn't attack the Princess if she wasn't there - or Link anymore. He could easily come along as her bodyguard, and in the meantime, it might help Hadinaru to figure out more behind the mystery without worry of his daughter's safety.

Arrik didn't seem to be against the idea himself. "Perhaps that would be wise, after all, they need to see our kingdom as much as we needed to visit theirs. And besides, an invitation would only be polite."

"It would," Risek said, giving his nodded agreement. "So once everyone knows, I'll give it to them myself. But if they do accept, it might delay our departure for a short while so they can prepare to leave."

"That won't be a problem." As soon as Arrik spoke the words, the doors opened and several of the people who'd ridden with the caravan came walking into the room. Arrik smiled and spoke, "Right on time. We've much to discuss."

Risek let Arrik do it while he went to the room where he'd been sleeping. He listened to Arrik announcing their plans and the reasoning for it, all while hoping that Zelda was doing much better since her attack. Oddly enough, Mirian popped into his mind when he considered the Princess, as well as his father.

He was anxious to see them both again and learn of his father's state of being. There'd been no bad news to arrive, so that hopefully meant he was doing fine, if not better.

Briefly, Risek wondered if the Triforce of Power could have been used to cure him.


	32. Invitation

_Chapter 33 - Invitation_

Zelda opened her eyes and stared at the balcony doors from her bed. They were open, and a cool wind was blowing into the room from the outside, making it completely comfortable on the warm Spring evening. She was as cozy as she'd been in a long while, and she didn't want to move at all, thinking about the dream she'd had of finding Link asleep in a field and shaking him to try to wake him up, grinning over the thought of how he'd leaned up and kissed her without warning.

The sweet dream was one she wished she could have more of, but she felt some shifting behind her, and the arms she'd just realized were around her tightening a bit. Following the movement, she heard a soft murmur of sleep against her ear, and she smiled even more brightly. Gently, she pushed herself up and rolled over, turning to face Link who had fallen fast asleep with her, apparently determined to stay by her side after what had happened to her, and she was glad for it. He always made her feel safe, and after being run through like she had been, she got the feeling she would be a little paranoid for a while now.

Link looked peaceful, she thought as she watched him, lifting a hand to push through his blonde hair. She looked over every detail of his face, the hoops he wore in his ears, the way his bottom lip slightly stuck out from laying with his cheek against the pillow, and how his bangs fell against his forehead to frame his face. He looked serene, but somehow still worried, as if she might've still had a hole in her gut, and she saw his brows wrinkling as he whispered her name out like he was dreaming about that afternoon.

Leaning over to him, Zelda kissed his cheek, then the tip of his nose, and she pushed herself up so that her lips were next to his ear when he jerked and started breathing more heavily.

"Link, wake up, you're having a bad dream."

"Zelda?," he asked softly, taking in his breath more steadily and opening his blue eyes. She sat back a bit when he did, smiling gently down at him. "You're awake?"

Nodding, Zelda brushed his cheek with the backs of her fingers and replied, "Yes, just a few minutes ago. I'm fine." She knew he would ask her that, so she answered before he could. "What about you? Worried?"

"Very," he told her honestly, leaning up slowly and clearing his throat after he yawned. Lowering his hand from covering his mouth, he looked over at her and he just couldn't help himself. With his arm behind her, he pulled her in closer so that she was settled with her legs across his lap and then hugged her tightly. "I thought I'd lost you this afternoon."

Zelda put her arms around him in turn, lifting them to pull his head against her collar, whispering, "I'm fine, thanks to you, completely fine. Don't worry, Link, I'm not going anywhere."

Link could completely agree with that, and he kissed her collar where his head rested, turning his lips to her throat to give it the same treatment, the kisses urgent, and he lifted his face to hers before covering her mouth with his own. Zelda let him, returned the kiss, feeling the same way he did in that she was no only happy to be alive, but she also wanted to kiss him because she'd been afraid she'd never have the chance to again.

They spent long moments sharing that kiss, and several others, paying attention to one another as if to say they were both just as effected by the attempt on Zelda's life earlier. Link had thought she'd died, and Zelda thought she might die with that argument having been their last real conversation. So when the kisses went to shoulders, ears, along their jaws, it wasn't surprising at all.

Their breathing became heavy, and eventually they threaded their fingers together and let their foreheads rest against one another. Things became peacefully serene between them, and Zelda slowly opened her violet blues. She felt so warm and safe there, everything in just the right place, fitting together so perfectly with him that she never wanted to move ever again.

She knew it was a rare instance in that a person got to feel so content, and she closed her eyes, savoring every moment of it, kissing his throat where her lips rested. It was in those serene moments that she heard his voice sounding.

"Are you feeling alright?"

It was getting darker outside, and he kissed her right after saying that. Zelda loved the attention, the way he was gentle like she might be breakable, and she rubbed her nose against his and smiled. "Yes," she smiled, "I'm fine. Just a little woozy from my nap."

With a smile of his own, Link kissed her again, then sat back against the pillows, pulling her with him before he combed his fingers through her hair while she looked up at his face, her legs draped across his thighs.

"I'm tempted to break our promise again," he admitted to her, "just because of how badly this whole thing scared me."

Zelda's brow quirked a bit. Anytime someone mentioned to Link that he might've been _afraid_ something would happen, he would always correct them. Now he was actually saying he'd been scared. So she leaned up and kissed him again as if to soothe him, because she understood, maybe even better than he did, that he could still become afraid, he was just braver to act to prevent the things that scared him from happening. "It wouldn't be so bad if you did," she reassured him, "we'd just have to make new ones. Such as my promise to never leave the Palace again without your knowing it."

Link sighed out his breath softly, remembering how their argument had gone earlier before she'd been run through in the dungeon. "I'm sorry I got so angry in front of Risek, Zelda. I was just worried, and knowing those Knights could have found you, I knew it wouldn't have been good."

"I know," she whispered softly, reaching up to hold his palm against her cheek when he placed it there. "I just became angry because I felt a little foolish and maybe betrayed."

"Betrayed?" Link wasn't sure he knew what she meant by that.

"Well, I trusted you wouldn't share my secret with anyone when you found out it was me that helped you both escape the Knights, and you didn't, but I thought you were definitely going to. In the end, I suppose I'm the one who betrayed you."

Link smiled over at her, shaking his head. "I can see why you would've thought that, so you don't have to worry. I guess we just both had something to be sorry for. But I think we've made up."

"I can agree." She nodded. "I...was afraid that I might've really been done in today and that the last conversation we'd had was an argument."

Link's expression became more serious, his hold on her tightening without his realization apparently, and he gave her a nod, "I'd thought of that myself. When I found..." he took a breath, "found you like that, laying in a pool of blood, and your dress was almost soaked in it, I'd never been so terrified."

Zelda leaned in to rest her forehead against his again. "I know," she whispered, kissing his forehead, then his nose, adding, "I love you so much, Link. Knowing I might've died and left you here," her words broke, "especially when the last we'd talked had been some silly argument, I was so scared."

His grip on her had tightened fiercely, unable to help it. "Zelda, you mean everything to me. If something ever happens to one of us, and the last talk we've ever had was an argument, believe me, I wouldn't ever blame you."

"Nor I you," she whispered back, squeezing him as tightly as she could. "But when that man who called himself Harold grabbed my arm and said what he did, and I felt that terrible pain, all I could think of was whether or not you'd still be angry with me."

"Never," he whispered, then considered what she'd just said. His grip didn't loosen, but he did ask, "What did Harold tell you?"

Zelda just remembered she hadn't explained that to him yet. Looking up, she parted her lips and said, "His exact words were 'the soldier' at first, and when I asked him what he meant, all he said was to whisper 'white eyes'. That's when I was stabbed through the back."

Link hadn't been completely sure whether or not this had all been the work of one of the White Knights, but this was more than obvious proof. Harold might've been crazy, but it stood to reason he wasn't a liar in that respect. Not to mention that Link hoped any Hylian guard wouldn't be stupid enough to make an attempt on the Princess's life with a witness about, crazy or not.

"I thought that could've been the case," he sighed, "I just wasn't sure how this could have happened in the Palace."

Zelda nodded slowly, "Yes, and I have no idea how either. Unless, and I hate to say this, but someone with the diplomats is connected to all of it."

"Then we should tell your father. He needs to know before this can happen again."

"I know, I just hope nothing negative happens with the Althorians because of this. After all, they could very well decide, once they find out, to leave right away. If Hyrule's Princess can nearly be killed by one of her own soldiers, what's to stop someone from harming one of them, or their Prince?"

She was completely right. With a nod of his head, Link told her, "Then we need to do so now, rather than later, in order to show good faith."

Their decisions made, Zelda pushed herself up with him, catching his mouth for one more kiss before she went to let him help her get dressed so they could find Hadinaru to have a talk with him about this.

Risek stood just outside of the Throne Room in the hallway. Upon seeing the Althorian Prince, Link and Zelda looked at each other in some slight confusion, and then drew closer to him before asking his name.

"Risek?," Zelda spoke, "What are you doing out here?"

Turning to look back, seeing them both, Risek took in a slow breath and said, "Your father is having a conversation with Arrik. I was just waiting for them to be done before I intruded." After explaining that, he added, "I am glad to see you fully well, my lady."

Zelda gave him a smile and nodded her head, "I'm glad you helped to make me that way. Thank you."

"I didn't do much, only offered what Link would have already done in suggestion."

"I was actually panicking," Link told Risek before adding somewhat sheepishly, "for once. I might have only thought of it too late."

"I see. Then, if that's the case, I'm glad I was there to help."

Giving Risek a nod of her head, Zelda motioned to the Throne Room and she told him, "You may want to come in with us. We have something important to tell my father, and I'd like for your Ambassador to hear it as well."

Slowly, Risek nodded, when the doors to the Throne Room opened and Arrik stepped out. In seeing them, he smiled and walked over, "Princess, it's good to see you well, my dear. I heard of what happened. You must be upset and shaken."

"I'm worried, yes," she nodded, "but thank you. About that though, I was curious if, before you leave the Throne Room, you might lend Link and myself an ear. We have important news to share with my father that we want you and Risek to hear."

"Of course, madame," Arrik nodded. "If that's the case, then I'll just step back inside to speak with you there."

Zelda smiled, thankful for the man's agreement, and then she looked at Link and was about to ask if he was ready to go when Risek interrupted her. "Zelda," he said, addressing her by name instead of status for once. "Would you mind if I had a word with you before you went into the Throne Room?"

"Oh, I don't mind," she replied, glancing at Link, "if that's alright?"

"That's fine," Link nodded, then he nodded to the door, "I'll wait for you."

"Okay," she smiled, watching him go. Once he was inside and the doors had fallen shut, she turned her attention up to the raven haired Prince and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Risek replied, looking back down at her from watching the doors shut. "I simply thought to tell you that, until now, I'd been somewhat jealous of your fiancee, and of you as well, for being able to have what you both want. But when I saw what I did in the dungeon, how much he truly does love you, and how much you two are able to coincide despite any differences set between you, I realized I couldn't be jealous anymore. I feel the need to advocate the two of you now, because I feel that if I don't, I'll be in some way untrue to myself. So I thought to let you know that, no matter what the diplomats or anyone else in Althor thinks of your choice to wed a Knight, you have a supporter in me."

The words truly touched Zelda, and with a very genuine smile, she took his hand and said, "Thank you, Risek. Very much."

Risek nodded, and though he was somewhat unused to being shown such appreciation, especially when she leaned up and placed a grateful kiss on his cheek, he allowed it and simply cleared his throat with half of his lips raised a bit into a purse. As Zelda stood back, she suddenly found the situation a little humorous, and she chuckled softly. In turn, Risek smiled down at her before he turned to go into the Throne Room, leaving her briefly in the hallway behind him with a somewhat blank expression.

He really _did_ have a handsome smile like Keesa had heard in rumor.

Zelda was somewhat shocked by that. Granted, he was a handsome man, but when he smiled, somehow it just all looked so much better. In a way, she was grateful he didn't bring that smile out more often, but on the same token, she really thought he should have.

But she had no real time to consider it now, and just walked into the room behind him, ready to explain to her father what had happened in the dungeons earlier. It didn't take much time to have it all explained either before Hadinaru asked a few questions.

"White eyes? Like the previous attackers?"

Hadinaru looked thoughtful as well as angry over the explanation given. Inside of his own home. His daughter had nearly been killed, and those Knights plaguing his lands were controlling the minds of his people somehow into making them commit atrocities against random people. Though, those attacks did seem to be based around the royals, or those close to them. As he considered it, Arrik spoke.

"Your Majesty, I'm uncertain of any way to fix this problem, and you have my heartfelt sympathies for them. But I am currently believing that it may be best if my people leave Hyrule. Just for now. Who knows if those White Knights may try to bar the roads between our Kingdoms, and, without any offense intended, your very daughter was attacked, which makes me worry for the life of my King's son."

Link and Zelda hadn't been privy yet to the information that the Althorians had decided to leave, but they didn't interrupt the conversation either. The both of them figured it was probably the best idea after they thought about it after all. Risek needed to be with his people, and these Knight definitely didn't seem to have Althor's best interests at heart.

"Yes," Hadinaru drew out quietly in response to Arrik's statement, "for that, I cannot blame you, and in fact, would suggest you do so. Tomorrow in fact. Diplomacy can always resume at a later date, and in the meantime, I can appoint my own Ambassador finally in order to send to you so that our talks are continued on even grounds."

Nodding his head, Arrik sighed a breath slowly. "I honestly wish there was more I could do to help solve this problem, but I'm completely stumped. I'll have the caravans readied for departure in the morning, and I can say that, even though I'm leaving a bit prematurely, I'm looking forward to our two Kingdoms becoming united again."

"As am I," Hadinaru replied.

"Good," Arrik smiled, giving him a nod. "I'll see you in the morning before we depart in that case. I wish you the strength of the Goddesses with stopping this threat to your lands and family."

"Thank you, Ambassador. Sleep well tonight."

As the Ambassador nodded in response, and then headed to the door, Hadinaru looked from him and over at Risek as the Prince stood there, and he stepped down from his Throne and took a few steps toward him. Sensing him coming, Risek turned his head to face the King of Hyrule, wondering what the man might be about to say to him.

Reaching out, Hadinaru placed a hand on the young Althorian's shoulder, and he said, "I would like to ask you a favor, between royals as it were."

"What is that, Your Highness?"

Smiling at the show of respect, Hadinaru said, "If your father is well enough to hear this when he returns, tell him, and have him put a watch up on his own lands. If not, then do so yourself. But be sure to keep an eye open. If you ever need anything, call on me. I will do all that I can to make sure you're aided in some way."

Risek gave a nod and the reply, "That's very kind of you, and I extend that same courtesy." Risek still wanted to extend the invitation to take Link and Zelda to Althor if they wanted to go, but h was interrupted before he could speak the thought.

He two royals heard Link and Zelda speaking quietly amongst themselves, and looked over to see that he was suggesting something, and she was nodding in agreement. When Link looked up, he stepped toward them and said, "Actually, I think it might be a good idea if I traveled with them."

"You?" Hadinaru asked. He looked surprised, and then he slowly shook his head, "I don't see why you would need to go, not to mention you're the only one I can truly trust to protect my daughter. With soldiers and knights alike going off their rockers from time to time, I need you here, to help."

"I know," Link nodded, "but I have reason to believe I'm being called elsewhere for now. I think I should go to Althor, and because of Zelda's safety, I think she should come with me."

That part was extremely surprising, but before the King could say anything in argument with it, Zelda stepped behind Link and said, "I agree with him, Father. After all, Link can only watch me so much, he has to sleep sometime, and I've been attacked within my very own home. We don't know if it could happen again, and if perhaps one of the maids may do it next time. Besides, their Prince came to visit with us. I think it only fair that perhaps, on good faith, I should go visit with them for a short time."

"Zelda, diplomacy is the furthest thing on my mind. Keeping my family safe and secure as well as my people unharmed is what I'm more interested in accomplishing right now."

Zelda nodded, telling her father, "I understand. But you know Risek has the third piece of the Triforce. This being the case, and his sudden arrival here in Hyrule being evidence of it, I have the strongest sense that this was all meant to happen, and that Link and I both need to go to Althor, before anymore can go wrong."

Hadinaru groaned out a sigh of breath. In hearing these words, he slowly shook his head and replied, "Your logic makes it difficult to get a point across sometimes."

"I know," Link butted in as if completely agreeing without even thinking about it, then he gave Zelda a sheepish smile. She just pursed her lips at him, and then smirked a bit, looking back over at her father.

Hadinaru had snorted in some slight amusement over Link's comment, then he slowly shook his head. "I'll consult Myriad and Impa to see what they think. As well as your mother, Zelda. I'll have an answer for you at the dinner table. That is, if Risek is in agreement."

"Actually," the Prince began, "I was just about to offer them both an invitation before Link spoke up. So it's completely fine."

"Well, in that case, I'll just put the thought to me advisors and see what the verdict is."

Hadinaru followed through with those words as well, consulted the people he'd mentioned, including Lyonel, about whether or not Link should go with Zelda to escort her to Althor.

In the morning, they found themselves packing.


	33. Departure

_Chapter 34 - Departure_

"I believe we're all packed up and ready."

Arrik made the comment as his assistant Alarun had moved past him with the final item to be packed for their trip. They were standing on the path outside of the walls of the Courtyard, everyone gathered to say a goodbye. Myriad stood with Lyonel, Risek heading toward the scene with a few of the diplomats behind him, and the King and Queen were also stepping toward the caravans bearing the seal of the Althorian Kingdom.

Link gave his mother a hug when she commanded it almost dogmatically in a comical way, Lyonel chiding her for being so controlling all the while. Tenio was standing near them, and he'd given Link another apology for attacking him, apparently continued to feel badly for what had commenced that evening not so long ago.

Link told Tenio for the umpteenth time that there'd been no harm done, but if he really wanted to make up for it needlessly, then he would do all he could to help find and stop the White Knights plaguing the lands.

Zelda was saying goodbye to her parents as well. Hadinaru felt as if he had to comfort his wife more however, because due to her pregnancy, she'd become fairly emotional, and kept mentioning how much she was going to miss her little girl. Zelda reassured her that they would all be fine with a smile on her face, and Nissandra finally let her go.

Once they were done, Arrik headed toward Zelda and said, "My lady, are you all set?"

Turning, Zelda gave a nod of her head, replying with the words, "I am."

He nodded and gave her a bow of his head as she past him, then glanced at her parents. "You're sure you don't want to send more protection for her?"

Hadinaru responded simply, "Our guards will escort you all to our borders, and from there, these White Knights shouldn't remain a problem. After all, they're apparently intent on attacking us." The King didn't mention that he also had a strongly founded faith in Link's abilities to protect Zelda because he was sure the Ambassador wouldn't completely understand why.

"Well, I promise you she'll be well taken care of when we arrive in Althor. I'll make sure she writes you three letters a day," he smiled in jest.

Hadinaru chuckled and patted the man's arm with a nod of his head. "You do that. And have a safe journey."

"That we will I'm sure," Arrik responded, turning to go to the caravan and load himself inside of the carriage he was going to ride in.

Watching him, leave, Hadinaru and Nissandra saw Risek, and when their gazes met, they gave one another formal bows. Risek told them both, "I hope that we get to see one another again soon, hopefully with my father next time."

"Agreed. Pass a message along to Seriun for me. Tell him he needs to get better, because I would hate to outlive him when he's younger than I am."

Risek nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips, "I will. Goodbye, Your Majesties."

"Goodbye, Risek," Nissandra said, Hadinaru nodding with the gesture she made.

Link walked past, and Hadinaru took in a breath, saying, "Watch out for the both of you. If anything happens to Zelda, you know who's hide it's coming out of."

With a smile, Link returned a nod and said, "Yes, my father's, because you'll need someone to beat on until I return."

The humor was welcomed, Hadinaru proving so with a soft laugh. "I heard that," came Lyonel's voice, and he gave a grin while Link whistled innocently and went toward the caravans. Lyonel stepped over to his king and queen with his wife on his arm, adding, "I'm certain they'll be fine."

"Yes," Hadinaru nodded, "I don't feel as if I should be fretting, oddly enough. But I do worry anyway, being her father."

"As do I for my son, every time I send Link out on an errand. I suppose we've still much to learn as parents."

Despite their talks, Myriad had an odd little smile on her face, and Nissandra saw it, quirking a brow. "What has you so chipper, Myriad?"

In turn, the other three looked at her, and she explained, "I slipped one of my stones into Link's pouch when he gave me a hug, so _I_ will be hearing from them quite often." She smiled as if completely pleased with herself.

Over the explanation, Hadinaru pursed his lips and Lyonel started shaking his head. "You sly devil," he drew out.

"That's why you married me," Myriad reminded him playfully, raising a hand to wave when she saw Zelda and Link ready to take off. They all lifted their arms in turn, watching their children disappear into the carriages before the driver in the front gave the command to travel, and the carriages started moving one by one.

Zelda was in a carriage with Link, Risek, and Arrik, watching her parents through the windows until she could no longer see them. She felt a mixture of excitement and anxiety, and looked down when she felt Link's hand closing around her own.

"Is this your first trip to anywhere outside of the kingdom?"

Glancing over at Arrik who had asked the question, Zelda nodded, "Yes. Link has been all over Hyrule, and I've done a good bit of traveling in the past year, but never to another kingdom. I'm excited."

Arrik smiled, "Good, I think you'll like Althor. Perhaps we'll need to abduct you back to Hyrule."

The playful words drew a smile to her lips and she looked at Link when he said, "Good luck catching her first."

Arrik let a chuckle, sitting back and glancing at Risek, who seemed to be lost in thought. "Feel free to jump into the conversation any time, my Prince."

Glancing over, Risek lifted a single brow, then looked at Link and Zelda. He'd yet to tell anyone that the three of them knew the origin of the White Knights, because he didn't want commotion to impede diplomacy when Althor had no control over the actions those Knights made. So he knew that Arrik wasn't certain for the reason he seemed to be slightly brooding.

But when Arrik made the comment, Risek lifted a brow. "I agree."

"With what? That we'll have to abduct her back to Hyrule?"

"No, that she'll be hard to catch," he replied before slightly smirking and glancing back out of the window. Arrik snorted in amusement over the comment, then just settled himself more comfortably.

They began enjoying the scenery, the ride promising to take a while of course, two days in all, but it wouldn't be dull. The lush greeneries of Hyrule's lands passed them by, the wispy clouds of white overhead in the blue sky, and Link remembered a different face to the kingdom. He was always happy to look out and see such a nice change after their victory had been taken, knew Zelda felt the same way, and wondered if Althor would offer any type of similarity to it.

Heading southerly toward the pass that led near and through part of the Gerudo Valley and the desert, the winds picked up to cool the heat of the day as it past them. Sometimes, as he watched, Risek wondered if they would run into the White Knights again, but the threat never showed itself. Link and Zelda felt the same way, but when things remained peaceful and calm, their thoughts all drifted.

Zelda had packed books to read for the ride, and they conversed in order to pass the time. But soon enough, the borders of Hyrule came and passed them somewhere during the evening, and the Hylians were a bit distracted by the sights they could see from their windows.

Sadly there wasn't much to see at first because it was nighttime. It wasn't until the next morning that they glimpsed the changes in the countryside. The Caravan came to a stop in a luck valley the evening before where they went to stretch their legs and have a brief reprieve. Returning to the carriage, Arrik dismissed himself to the one that the diplomats were riding in, leaving Link, Risek, and Zelda to themselves for the time being.

Zelda fell asleep where she sat, leaning against Link, and he let her stay there instead of reminding her that she could have used the chamber in the back of the carriage to sleep in because she was so deeply gone. She didn't awaken until first light, and looked outside to see a world of landscapes she'd never seen before. Over the trees, mountains loomed in the distance - the Endigan Mountains - and on the path grew flowers she'd never seen before either.

Link was asleep at that point, and Risek had apparently moved into the back of the carriage for some reason she wasn't sure of. Zelda didn't bother her fiancee, allowing him to awaken whenever he would, and just took in all of the sights to be had.

What would the kingdom itself be like, she wondered. Friendly people no doubt, but how would it look? She'd heard a few stories so far, and eventually, she asked Risek while they traveled. But his description didn't do it much justice, and he'd told her it probably wouldn't.

Eventually, after a day and a half of travel, they cleared an incline and saw the kingdom in the distance. It was early morning at that time, and Risek speculated that they would arrive by midday. The Palace could be seen, but not in detail, and at their height coming down the hillside of the mountain, the Sea was easily spotted in the distance.

Zelda couldn't drag her eyes from it while everything got closer and closer. Much of the town surrounding the Palace itself looked to be finely crafted, paved roads unlike Hyrule Town as of yet considering it was still under construction. As they drew ever closer, she saw that vines climbed the walls of homes and street posts stood with torches to be lit in the evenings atop them.

They passed what looked like a religious shrine among several other buildings, one which had the statue of a Goddess before it, apparently Nayru from the looks of it. It was the Shrine of Justice as Risek explained, two others like it located elsewhere in the large town. But apparently they wouldn't be passing by those, though they could always be seen later.

Finally, after such a long journey, the caravans pulled up to the walls of the Palace. Some townspeople had gathered, apparently welcoming their Prince and the diplomats back with their presence, and as the gates opened and the caravans entered, Zelda realized that the Palace of Althor - while not more extravagant than that of Hyrule - seemed to be a bit more baroque in design. It looked inviting as well, the paved roads leading into the courtyard which was heavily flowered making it seem very comfortable.

A few fountains stood about the gardens, and the carriages came to a stop before a large set of stairs that led up into double doors at the front of the Royal home. Risek felt a mixture of emotion from relief to worry over what he might find now that he was here.

Servants were waiting to have everything brought inside to be placed away and taken care of. The door on the side of the carriage opened, and a kindly looking older man greeted his Prince back home and then extended a warm welcome to the Hylian Princess and the Knight she was traveling with while they exited the horse drawn vehicle.

With silent thanks to the servant, Risek looked at Link and Zelda, telling them to follow him when he heard Arrik stating that it was good to be home. Giving the Ambassador a nod, he walked up the steps and waited for everyone else to catch up.

The large double doors opened up, and stepping inside were Arrik, Risek, and the other diplomats, followed by the guards, and as well, Princess Zelda and Link. Zelda and Link were both glancing about fairly curiously, taking the sights in, while Risek stopped and glanced back at them, waiting for them to get their feel of the place. While he did so, he heard Arrik's voice sounding in happiness over seeing his son again, glancing over to spy Lukas entering the hall, Charlain on his arm.

"Lukas!"

"Father," Lukas replied with a quaint smile in greeting, "Welcome back."

Link and Zelda glanced ahead when they heard the name being exclaimed to see a tall Althorian with neatly tied blonde hair and generously handsome features. The woman on his arm had raven black hair that was tied into a roll at the nape of her neck, and the garment she wore looked as if the tailor had spared no expense in making it, leading them both to believe she was probably the Princess Charlain.

Nodding at his son, Arrik stopped before Lukas and patted the man's arm. Then he glanced over at Charlain as well and said, "Ah, don't you look lovely today, Charlain. I trust all has been well in our absence."

"Perfectly so," Lukas replied, explaining away a few things to his father when three servants walked into the foyer from the stairs, and Risek's attention was distracted from the reunion of father and son when he noticed the movements.

Mirian had come in, pointing out bags to servants to be taken to different chambers where the Ambassador and the diplomats stayed, and Risek just watched her quietly. She hadn't specifically looked in their direction, so he didn't feel badly about watching her for the moment, though he was always careful with his attentions. But as he gazed, he heard his name being spoken.

"Risek?"

Looking back, seeing Zelda, he cleared his throat and asked, "Yes?"

"I was just saying what a lovely home you have. Are you alright?"

Risek was silent for just a moment, looking about the nicely decorated foyer himself after she'd mentioned it to him. Finally he replied with the words, "Yes, I'm fine. I was simply taking it all in as well."

Zelda offered him a kind smile, and Link added, "Must be nice to be back finally."

"It is, I have to admit." After Risek said that, he looked over with them when a servant headed in their direction, which was Mirian.

Giving a polite curtsy, Mirian greeted, "Welcome back, Your Highness, you've been missed," she said cordially.

"Hello, Anamirian," Risek replied in greeting, the same as he always did whenever he returned from a trip of some type. "Thank you." He turned and motioned with his hand, adding, "This is Link, and the Princess Zelda. You can show them to their chambers once they're ready to go up. Link, I believe I mentioned Anamirian to you before, the sister of my friend Marcelle."

Mirian didn't show her surprise except to raise her brows a slight bit. If Risek had told this Hylian named Link about her brother and mentioned herself to him in the process, then the Prince must have seen them as friends of some type. She stayed quiet though, didn't question it, and waited to hear Link's response.

Nodding his head, Link smiled and offered a bow of his head to the red haired lady in greeting. "It's nice to meet you. Should I just call you Mirian?"

Mirian gave him a polite smile, returning the bowed head before she responded, "Of course, if it suits you to." Then she turned and gave Zelda a proper curtsy as well, adding, "You're more beautiful than the rumors told, Your Highness."

Zelda blushed a little, and was about to reply, when a voice overshadowed hers.

"Don't you have a hello for your little sister, Risek?," Charlain asked as she sauntered over in her blue gown, Lukas just behind her. Coming to a stop, she added, "Or at least for your brother-in-law."

Risek, clearing his throat, took in a breath and looked at Lukas with the reply, "Hello Lukas."

Rolling her eyes, Charlain waved a dismissive hand at him, saying, "I suppose the time in Hyrule hasn't changed you. You still treat me like an outcast, big brother."

Risek, his arms folded behind his back, lifted a single brow and said, "It was an attempt at humor, Charlain. But I hope you were well while I was away."

"An attempt at humor? Then maybe Hyrule _has_ changed you a bit," she informed him with a somewhat coy smile. "Oh, before I forget, Gabriel is not here, but with his class. Just incase you were curious."

"Thank you," Risek told his sister politely, and the exchange seemed highly formal for family in Link and Zelda's eyes. But Risek then looked over at the Hylians and decided he had to take up the task of introducing them, distracting their thoughts over the situation. "Charlain, I'd like you to meet the Princess of Hyrule, Zelda, and her intended, Link, a Knight on Hyrule's courts."

Charlain had given Zelda a smile, but that smile turned into an expression of slight confusion slowly while she gazed between the two of them. With a slow shake of her head, she inquired, "A Knight? You're not required to wed a noble?"

"Link _is_ a noble," Zelda told Charlain for simplicity's sakes, "it's a long story."

"I see," Charlain gave with a nod, casting her blue eyes between them as if to consider what that story might be. Then she added with a little smile, "Perhaps you'll share it sometime. I do appreciate a good tale. But until then, this is my husband, Lukas, the Grand Duke of Meley."

Lukas gave Zelda and Link a polite nod of his head, saying, "I'm pleased to meet you. I've met very few Hylians in my life, but I have heard several tales recently which were centered around you both. It's a pleasure."

"Thank you. Maybe we'll get to hear stories of all of you now too," Zelda told him with a smile.

"Well, I'll have to take charge of that myself. Otherwise my father will embarrass me." When Lukas spoke, he heard Arrik chuckling softly, and then Lukas asked Zelda, "You're about Charlain's age, right? Eighteen?"

"Yes, very close."

Lukas nodded, "You both look about the same age. Charlain will be nineteen in a few months. Maybe it will be easier for you to get along because of it."

Link looked at Charlain when he mentioned that, and could see the Princess was young, and he could only guess that Lukas was somewhere in his twenties himself. In an effort to get things off on the right foot, he told the Princess, "In that case, happy birthday, Your Highness, since we may not be here when it comes."

Charlain gave Link a quaint smile and nod of her head, replying, "Thank you. But, you both must be tired from traveling. Anamirian," she looked over, "could you see them to their chambers, and we'll adjourn again for dinner soon."

"Yes, your highness," Mirian replied before she stepped to the side and offered to lead them up. When she did, Link held a hand out for Zelda and allowed her to go first before he told Charlain his thanks, and then followed in behind his fiancee.

Risek, looking at his sister as the Hylians began to leave, asked, "Charlain, how is our Father? Any better?"

Charlain made a soft sigh of breath while she turned to Risek, and Lukas waved a hand, "Allow me, Charlain."

When he heard this, Risek's brows narrowed, turning to the blonde haired Duke in question while keeping his expression even. Mirian had stopped when she heard these words, unable to help herself, and her pause caused Link and Zelda to look back. Lukas spoke in hushed tones, and after a short conversation, the Duke turned with Charlain and began to walk away. Risek lingered in his place for only a moment longer before he turned toward the stairs.

Mirian watched the Prince heading toward them, and she turned her gaze down before he could see it, telling Link and Zelda with a kind smile, "Please, follow me."

Zelda nodded and went with Link, Risek just behind them though he was soon to pass, and Link couldn't help but ask what was going on. After all, it didn't look good from the way Risek had headed past them, not in a complete hurry, but swift enough to say that not everything was exactly well.

"Mirian, I don't mean to be nosey, but did something happen to your King while Risek was in Hyrule?"

They were heading up the stairs when Link asked this, and Mirian took in her breath, wanting to say more than she knew she should at that moment, but for now she kept quiet over it. Once at the top of the stairs, she looked over at Link and smiled, shaking her head slowly. "Not specifically, he just hasn't woken up since last night. He's become a bit pale, but his breathing is completely normal and sometimes he rambles random words in his sleep as if having bad dreams. He simply won't respond to us though."

Mirian turned to head down the corridor. As they walked, Link mused aloud, "I suppose he's going to see his father then."

"Yes," Mirian nodded, watching Risek go, ahead of them down the hallway now and disappearing around the corner. "Few things in the world mean more to the Prince than his father. I have the feeling that Seriun will do much better now that he's back. He missed Risek after all. I hope that, before you leave, you'll get to meet him."

Reaching the doors to their chambers, Mirian stopped and grasped the knob, turning it to open the wooden frame decorated with metal screws and plates, allowing them to see a very comfortable, stone walled room which was large and decorated in tones of blues and deep browns.

Inside, Mirian waved a hand toward a door at the other end of the chamber, and said, "Link, there's another bed through that door for you, I chose this room specifically because I knew it would allow the two of you to be closer if something should occur and you need to reach one another. We've stationed guards just across the hallway as well, Your Majesty. Is there anything else I can do for you both?"

Zelda gave Mirian a smile and shook her head no. "I don't believe so. Thank you very much. I really like the choice you made for us. It looks comfortable."

Seeing the kind smile, Mirian stared for just a moment and blinked her golden eyes, then smiled somewhat shyly. With a nod of swaying red tendrils framing her face, the head chambermaid told them, "Thank you, my lady. I'll come to get you both myself when dinner is ready. In the meantime, feel free to look around the Palace."

Nodding, Zelda replied, "We might. But, can I ask you something?"

Mirian had turned to go, but stopped when she heard the question. Looking back at the two of them, she asked, "Yes, Your Highness?"

"Why did you stare at me like that just now?"

"Oh," Mirian drew out, glancing to the side. "I guess I'm just not used to having a Princess smile at me so kindly and compliment me."

"Then, is Charlain cold to you?"

"She's a good Mistress," Mirian replied, then she slowly shook her head, saying, "She simply doesn't reward for what is expected of her servants."

"I see. Well, I hope we'll see one another later then."

"So do I," Mirian nodded, giving Zelda a genuine smile before she went to the door and left them both alone.

Zelda looked over after the door shut to see Link rubbing his eyes, and when she did, she asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he told her, pulling his hand away from his face and looking at Zelda. "I was just considering Mirian's words about Charlain. I get the feeling anything you tell the Princess will become everyone's business. Risek told me she's a gossiper. Not to mention, the reunion, well..."

When he stopped mid sentence as if gathering his thoughts, Zelda tilted her head curiously, "Seemed cold?," she supplied.

With a nod, Link added, "I didn't want to say anything, but yes. They're family, and I guess that it just seemed strange to me. Still, I guess they just don't have the best relationship for siblings."

"Maybe not," Zelda agreed, stepping toward him while thinking about the situation. "I'm supposing I'll have to be careful how I word things around her as well if she likes to gossip. Not that I'm worried of what she'll say, but I'd rather not have some type of reputation spreading about us here in Althor. It would make things more complicated. The trouble is figuring out how to do that."

"Well if anyone can figure out how to do that, you can," Link told her with a grin, stepping over to put his hand on her upper arm. "So, are you tired?"

"A little, but not enough so to warrant a nap. And you?"

"Same. I think we should look around. The more we know, the better. But I am a little bothered by something."

Zelda felt as if she already knew what he was going to say, so she asked, "You were expecting to see something on the way here, like the White Knights perhaps."

"Well, I wasn't expecting it," he amended for her, "but I was thinking it could happen. It really makes me wonder if one of them could be a diplomat. There'd be no need to follow us if they were after all."

Zelda considered that for a moment. It was true, but at the same time, nothing more than a theory right now. "I wouldn't worry too much. Right now, we should just focus on being here and getting to know the place. If a problem arises, then we can start looking more into their identities. After all, they _could_ be spirits of White Knights long departed."

"Maybe, but I wouldn't think they'd be able to leave the lands of the old kingdom of Alnaric if that was the case," Link suggested, "since spirits seem to be bound to certain places."

"Maybe the Dragon Scale lets them leave."

Zelda and her logic, Link considered, giving her a smile. "Alright, we'll stick with that theory for now." Link reached into his pocket and pulled out the stone his mother had given him, suggesting to let her know they'd arrived safely for now, not to mention let them know how King Seriun was doing. Once that was completed, he took Zelda's arm in his and escorted her to the door.

Link honestly only wanted to worry about whether or not they would get along with the rest of the royal family. Lukas seemed agreeable, they'd yet to meet the youngest brother, and Charlain, well, it was just too hard to tell at this point.

They'd just have to be on their best behavior he supposed.


	34. Tension

_Chapter 35 - Tension_

The curtains were drawn to keep out the light while the King rested, and his door shut softly. Risek looked across the room at him once he'd walked inside, taking in a deep breath to fortify his emotions while he stepped toward the bedridden man.

Coming to a stop nest to the bed, he had to notice that Lukas was right, and Seriun _did_ look a bit pale. Risek did everything he could to push that thought from his mind for the moment however, not wanting himself to become completely distressed. After all, the man might actually respond to him.

"Father," Risek spoke, taking the man's frail hand. Reaching down, he placed his palm against Seriun's shoulder, looking at his face. "Father, I'm back. Can you hear me?"

Seriun didn't respond. Instead, he simply lay there quietly, his breathing as steady as Mirian had mentioned to Link and Zelda that it was, but his face was completely expressionless. Risek could feel the worry and grief tugging at his heart in the face of his lifeless sire, and it was hard to keep that emotion back.

Behind him, the door had opened, and Mirian stepped into the room. In seeing Risek with the King, she hated to interrupt, but she had to speak with him, felt that it warranted an interruption even if he'd just arrived in Althor once again.

"My," she started softly, stepping in a little closer when she didn't think her voice was loud enough to be heard by him. "My Prince? I'm sorry to interrupt."

Risek looked over when he heard her, and seeing her standing there, he looked back at his Father and took in a deep breath. "It's fine, Mirian," he said softly, his voice deep but somehow full of sorrow. "I don't mind."

Hearing how badly this must have hurt him, Mirian forgot about what she needed to tell him for the moment, and she decided instead - for the moment anyway - to offer him whatever he might need. "Can I get anything for you?"

"No," he shook his head. Growing quiet after saying those words, and then lifting his hand from his Father's shoulder, but keeping his other where it was, he took another slow, deep breath, and closed his eyes. "I feel as if I've failed him. I should have been here."

Mirian shook her head even though he wasn't looking. "You didn't, My Prince. You succeeded him by accomplishing that which he couldn't. He told me more than once while you were gone just how proud of you he is. He said he was happy that you went to Hyrule in his stead, because he felt that you needed reprieve, and it lightened the burden on his heart."

"The burden?," Risek asked curiously, looking over at Mirian for explanation.

Nodding, she explained, "He was worried that, if you or he didn't go to Hyrule, diplomacy wouldn't work as smoothly as it could have. He honestly believes Hyrule's friendship can rejuvenate our people."

"I see," Risek replied, looking back down at his sire. He wished Seriun would look up and confirm her words, but instead, the King simply lay there motionless, resting comfortably but deathly still at the same time. "He does not know the half of it, I believe. But, Mirian," Risek began, turning his face back over to her, "has he not moved at all? Even twitched?"

"He has," Mirian nodded, and she turned and walked over to the bed opposite the side that Risek was standing on. The Prince watched her leaning down to lift Seriun's head and placed the pillows more comfortably beneath it, and when she did, Seriun let a soft sigh and his face turned slightly. "See?"

Mirian looked back up at Risek and shook her head slowly, "It's only been a day now, he could wake up any time."

Her words did comfort him, made him feel better, and Risek gave her a nod of his head, looking back at Seriun's face once again. "What is it that makes him so ill?" Though he'd asked the question aloud, he hadn't realized it. Mirian turned her golden eyed gaze toward him, parting her lips to speak over that, to tell him words she'd overheard spoken that she thought could have to do with Seriun, but she found them stuck in her throat. It wasn't that she felt she couldn't tell him, but simply that she wasn't sure how to put them without burdening Risek further.

In seeing the expression on her face, however, Risek turned toward her completely. He looked concerned, because she did as well, asking, "What is it?"

"Hmm?" Mirian drew her face toward his when he asked, and then realized what it was that caused him to look the way he did. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just...," she sighed out her breath, head bowed forward. Risek waited for her to say more, and when she didn't right away, he slowly released his father's hand and stepped toward the foot of the bed, stopping when she finally spoke again.

"I'm worried, My Prince, I don't know what to think anymore."

Risek had to keep himself in check because he didn't feel as if the situation warranted an offer for comfort to her, standing where he was without moving while gazing over at her. He noticed something however, that she was fidgeting with her skirts in her hands, wringing them a bit, and ever since she was a young girl, he could remember her doing that when she was nervous or bothered by something.

"This illness I strange," she began without prompting, "and I'm not–"

A knock came to the door. Upon hearing the soft wrapping, Mirian and Risek both looked that way. Once they did, a voice sounded that belonged to a young boy, "Risek? Are you here?"

"Gabriel," he said, then went to the door, opening it up in order to look down at the young boy. Gabriel turned and looked up at his brother, grinning when their eyes met, and Mirian watched Risek bending down to hug him. Despite the dreary mood that had been set, she smiled brightly, listening while Gabriel told Risek how much he'd missed him.

"I missed you too, Gabriel. How have things been?"

"Not good," Gabriel told him with a shake of his head before he stood back. "Things have gotten strange since you left. Last night, I saw all of the Knights leaving the Palace and heading in the direction of Newbern with torches, and some of them didn't return."

Risek gave Gabriel a confused look, slowly turning that gaze back at Mirian. In seeing his perplexed face, she took in her breath and let him stand in order to shut the door before they spoke anymore over it, and once their words were sealed inside of the room, Risek asked, "Do you know anything about this?"

"Just a little," she nodded, "Lukas will inform you of everything, I'm sure. But Aggie didn't return. Besides that, I've simply heard words of traitors to the crown flying around since you left."

"Traitors?," Risek implored, though not directly from Mirian. Before he could think more on it however, he felt Gabriel tugging at the bottom of his blue tunic in order to get his attention.

"Risek, Charlain's been acting strange too. She keeps talking to me about not worrying over whatever happens, that she and Lukas have it all under control. I asked her what she meant, and she said that sometimes people just get jealous and things get bad for a little while. I still can't figure out what she means."

"I think perhaps I should ask her then," Risek replied, looking at Mirian who seemed somehow pensive. When he realized this, he told Gabriel, "Go prepare for dinner. I'll be down shortly."

Gabriel nodded and gave Risek one last hug before he went to the door and left the room. When it shut, Risek made sure it was latched, then turned around to face th chambermaid and asked her, "You know more about this, don't you?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I didn't want to say so in front of Gabriel though. But I've overheard things," she sighed. "I'm just unsure of what I'm hearing."

Whatever it was had apparently bothered Mirian to the point of paranoia because she continually seemed wary, even speaking of it now. So Risek reminded her on a gentle tone of voice, "You trust me, don't you?"

She gave him a nod, but never met his gaze. "Yes, of course I do. It's nothing to do with that. I just don't want to weigh down your return with a lot of talking and potentially bad news."

Risek knew something like this would happen deep down, that he would return to Althor and things would jump on him at once, so he wasn't surprised in any way. "Don't worry over that, just tell me what's bothering you. Why did the Knights leave, and why didn't Aggie return?"

Mirian paused in giving him a response as if the truth of it might have pained her somehow, but she cleared her throat after a moment and said, "Lukas called him a traitor. He said that Aggie was assisting the townspeople all of this time."

Risek's surprise was clear on his face for once. Aggie? A traitor? That couldn't be possible, could it? While Risek hadn't known him as long, Aggie was like Marcelle in many ways, trustworthy and duty bound. He could only imagine these reasons were why Mirian also seemed unsettled with the words.

But instead of defending Aggie - especially to Mirian - he simply asked, "Assisting them with _what_?"

Mirian shook her head slowly, "According to Lukas, there was indication that some people in Newbern were trying to incite rebellion against the crown. He sent the Knights in to question them."

Despite Risek having thought he would return and have duty weigh down on him heavily, he hadn't expected to hear of traitors against the crown. Especially not Aggie of all people. Of course, Mirian wouldn't have specific details, only Lukas would, so he would have to ask his brother-in-law for more information on all of this before he could make up his mind on what to do exactly.

So in the meantime, Risek asked Mirian, "What else have you heard?"

"Many things," Mirian told him honestly. "And I don't know what to think of any of them."

"Then you'll have to tell me later," he said, glancing over at where his father rested quietly. "I need to attend dinner for now, and go speak with Lukas over this."

He was right, and Mirian figured that was the best idea before any assumptions could be made. After all, before Risek heard the chatter she'd been privy to, he needed all of the facts. "Go," she nodded, "Don't worry for Seriun. If he wakes up, I know they'll tell you immediately."

Risek nodded at the chambermaid, then opened the door. He wanted to ask her personally how shed been fairing, but that wasn't an option for him, not then and there. Besides, he felt he already knew, she'd been on edge with all of the rumor of traitors to the crown floating around, so he just let it go for the time being in order to go get caught up with what Lukas knew. He didn't have the means to let himself indulge in any desires in that moment in time.

Once he'd left, Mirian let her shoulders slump. How was she supposed to tell him what she'd overheard? How could she find an easy way to say 'my Prince, I think your sister's up to something and whatever it is, it's not good'? Such a thing wasn't exactly what someone who'd just returned home wanted or needed to hear.

Mirian wasn't very sure about anything at that moment, and the situation felt as tense as any she'd ever been in before. Shaking her head, she went to settle herself in the chair near the bed, and she took Seriun's hand.

"Seriun, can you hear me? Your son's returned. I wish you would awaken to talk to him for a little while."

Seriun just let a peaceful sigh. Well, peaceful was better than muttering chaotically and incoherently, she figured. So at least he was calm for now.

If things played out the way she had a feeling they were going to however, Mirian wasn't so sure his son would be quite as calm in the near future.


	35. Assumption

_Chapter 36 - Assumption_

An hour was spent touring the halls and various chambers of the Palace. A few servants had tailed Link and Zelda from time to time during the process, showing them about and explaining the layout, others giving them stories behind certain pictures and busts of historical figures. Most all of them seemed to be happy to do so as well, giving the Hylians a warm welcome. Link found them to be highly hospitable, and Zelda thought for a while that she might have been a Queen instead of a Princess because they almost doted over her, asking what she might have needed and kindly offering things.

It was very pleasant, children here and there, a group of three who'd done something that Link and Zelda both remembered from their childhood - pointed and exclaimed 'look at their ears!'. They weren't picking on them as when Link and Zelda were children in Kakariko however, and one little girl who couldn't have been more than five years old ran up to Link, tugged on his tunic, and asked him why they were different. Following his explanation, she waved him down closer and whispered something into his ear that made him grin.

When he stood back up, Zelda curiously wondered what she'd said, and Link told her that she said she wanted to look just like the Hylian Princess when she grew up. Zelda smiled at the girl who shyly shoved her thumb in her mouth, then ran along when a school teacher called her name.

Of all of the rooms they looked about in, Zelda's favorite was definitely the indoor arboretum, which was built for Seriun's first wife according to an arborist who was on a ladder tending to one of the indoor trees.

Zelda looked stunned. She asked about the King's first wife and found out that the woman adored plants and spent a good bit of her time gardening and taking the young Prince for walks through the forests surrounding the Palace Town. The arborist went back to work after telling the story and Link and Zelda moved on.

"He must have really loved her."

Zelda gave a nod in response to Link's spoken thought. To build something as lovely as this indoor arboretum was definitely a feat, much more so to do it just because you loved someone so dearly.

"You know I'd do the same thing for you, but I think your father would get really suspicious if I started tearing down walls in the Palace."

The sudden comment made Zelda smile, and she grabbed Link's arm, snickering softly. "Oh stop, I'm sure he'd let you if you just asked." She added the last line in a jesting manner that said she wasn't fully expecting him to do just that even if she'd suggested it, a playful smile on her lips.

As they walked on, Link grinned, looking back for just a moment before he said, "You're right actually. He probably would."

Zelda hadn't been at all serious, so when he made that comment, and actually did sound as if he was legitimate in his certainty, she blinked and gave him a questioning look. Stepping through the large double doorway and back into the hallway, Zelda shook her head.

"Link, you don't have to build an indoor arboretum to tell me you love me."

"Who said it would be an arboretum?"

He was still grinning, and Zelda wondered if he was actually trying to spoil her, or if he was just trying to get under her skin. Either way, she handled it with the usual grace she exuded in most every situation.

"Very well, surprise me, but I'm not going to say or not I'd be content not to have something similar done for you."

His snicker told her all she needed to know, and they continued walking for a few moments before he made his next comment. "What time is it? Didn't they say dinner was going to be served soon?"

"Yes, but I don't know when. Maybe we should wait in our quarters and rest for a bit so they can come and get us more easily."

Strangely enough, Mirian rounded the corner almost as soon as Zelda had made the suggestion, heading toward the stairwell at just about that time. When she saw them, she came to a stop and folded her hands before her skirts. "Oh, I was just looking for you. Dinner is ready, everyone's going to the dining room now. They sent me to fetch you."

Zelda cast a glance at Link, smiling, "Isn't that odd."

Mirian looked confused, "What's that?"

"We were just talking about dinner," Link explained, heading toward the red haired chambermaid with Zelda. "I think I remember where the dining room is."

Mirian smiled, "Well, I'll lead you right to it. If you would follow me please."

Giving her a nod, they began to do just that, and while they went, Link asked, "Mirian, how's Risek? Did he get to see his father?"

She nodded, letting out a thoughtful sigh. "He's glad to be back with him, but I'm not sure if he's completely fine or not. He's grown accustomed to hiding how he feels a lot of times. But he couldn't be completely fine, it's somewhat of a bittersweet homecoming."

"I'd thought as much," Link replied, considering it all. "Better that he's home now though. He can be with the king instead of so far away."

"I agree," Mirian nodded, looking over at them both. "You three must have gotten along well. I was surprised to hear that he'd told you about any of us. Prince Risek doesn't speak of his family or friends to strangers often, at least, not of my brother, not ever since he disappeared."

Listening, Zelda gave a nod, "We did form a good friendship. I also forgot to say I'm sorry for what happened to him."

Mirian didn't really comment, only shook her head. "You don't have to be, but thank you. Anyway, here we are." She came to a set of double doors and went to open them. "I'm sure everyone's already seating themselves."

As she'd opened the doors to the nicely sized dining room and stood to the side to allow them both in, the chandelier offering light above the oval shaped table, they learned that she was right about the fact that most everyone was already there. Link and Zelda spotted Arrik first who was walking toward his seat, then they saw Risek with Lukas, apparently discussing something near the opposite end of the room in a somewhat private confidence, having yet to take their seats.

Charlain was already seated, chatting with a man that Link and Zelda had yet to meet, and aside from this, a young boy was sitting in a chair to the side by himself currently, but he was being kept entertained by apparently listening in on Charlain's conversation with the man she was seated next to.

Actually, the young boy looked completely disinterested.

Mirian led them both to the table, and Link pulled out a chair for Zelda after Mirian tried to do so for him. The movements got the boy's attention, and he turned his head to look at the three of them. From his garb, Link and Zelda had both assumed it was Risek's younger brother Gabriel, and he went a little wide eyed when he saw who was joining in on dinner.

Zelda sat next to him, Link on the other side of her, and Mirian went to Gabriel and asked him, "Is everything alright?"

Gabriel gave a nod and smiled warmly at the chambermaid, "Yes, I was just bored waiting on Risek to get done talking to Lukas. Charlain's gabbing about the society ball the other week."

Mirian smiled, turning to take the napkin at the table and settle it in the Prince's lap as were a part of her duties before she said, "Well, then meet our guests. Gabriel, this is Princess Zelda of Hyrule, and her fiancee, Sir Link."

Link cringed a slight bit, but it wasn't noticeable. He'd never liked being called that, thought it sounded strange. But he didn't say anything just then, and instead, let Mirian finish when she turned to them to introduce the youngest Miason sibling. "This is Prince Gabriel."

"Gabriel," the young boy said with a wave of his hand, "I don't like the titles all of the time."

Zelda gave him a warm smile, and Link grinned, nodding in agreement, "Same here. Just Link will do."

Standing up straight, Mirian smiled before she turned toward the servants and took her place standing in a neat line near the walls to await everyone to seat themselves before they began to serve the royals and nobility. Arrik had gone to Risek and Lukas to join in on the conversation for a moment, and as this happened, Gabriel looked over at Link and Zelda before they could say anything and asked them, "You're Hylians?"

Zelda, sitting closer to him, nodded her head. "Yes."

"I've never seen one before. But we don't look that different."

"No, not really, Gabriel," Zelda agreed, smiling over how he'd said it, as if he were surprised.

Gabriel smiled back, then leaned over a bit and looked at Link. Suddenly, he narrowed his brows and pointed. "Hey! You have hoops in your ears!"

Link rubbed his hand against the back of his head in a slight bit of embarrassment over how he'd just been pointed out and he nodded. "I've had them for a while."

"I want some. How did you get them?"

Zelda was holding her snickers inside, not wanting Gabriel to think that she'd found what he'd said to be silly. While she did this, Link gave his response.

"When I was fifteen, it was done as a right of passage into maturity."

"Oh, so I'd have to wait?"

"Actually, I think you'd have to ask someone if you could first," Link started, looking over at the boy. "Besides that, I don't know what the age limit here is. Or if Althorians even have a right of passage to begin with."

Gabriel pursed his lips while he thought about that. "I've never seen a man with hoops before, so I don't think there is one. I'm going to ask Risek if I can though."

Link gave a nod of his head, and noticed that - speaking of Risek - he was heading toward the table now with Lukas and Arrik, all of them seating themselves, leaving one chair empty at the head of the table where Link and Zelda supposed that the king usually sat. It was probably kept empty to honor him while he couldn't be there, and once they were settled, Lukas made an apology.

"I'm sorry for the delay, everyone. I was trying to catch Risek up to speed on what had happened while he was in Hyrule."

Sitting next to his wife, Charlain smiled and put her hand on his, "It's fine. I saw our Hylian guests getting acquainted with Gabriel."

Lukas looked over and nodded, smiling. "Good, then you know everyone in our royal family now, well, except for Seriun of course. But I'm sure he'll awaken and want to meet you soon."

"We look forward to that," Zelda replied with the same hope in her voice. "Your Prince told us a good bit about him when he was visiting in Hyrule."

"Yes, we're just sad he has to return when we're a bit worried over his condition," Lukas commented with a drop in his tone, apparently worried.

Risek then spoke up, "I'm sure he'll improve soon. When he does, I'll tell him you're both here. That should please him to know."

"Thank you," Zelda said to the compliment. While they spoke, the servants had taken up the tasks of serving, and Link didn't know exactly what type of food it was, but he had to admit, it smelled really good. While this went on, he listened to the conversation at hand, and the man seated on the side of Charlain opposite her husband, addressed him.

"You're a Knight on Hyrule's courts, aren't you?"

Link looked up, then gave a nod, "I am."

The blonde haired man gave a nod of his head, "We had a Hylian acquainted with the former Captain of the Knights pass through here not too long ago. Lyon, I believe he said the name was. Maybe you know him."

"Lyonel?," Link asked in return.

"Yes, that was it," he snapped his fingers in remembrance. "You must know him then."

With a nod, Link informed him, "Lyonel is my father."

"Really?" The yet-to-be-named blonde said with a slight bit of surprise in his voice, as well as some confusion. "I met this Hylian who told me of him in a tavern a few weeks past. But, he said this Lyonel had passed on."

It must have been someone who knew him before Ganondorf took the throne, Link considered, and he shook his head, "No, not quite. It's a long story."

"Hmm, perhaps you'll share it with us sometime then."

Lukas looked over at Link and offered an excuse for the blonde's behavior, "Forgive my brother, he's always been the inquisitive one. Gerild probably knows more about outside affairs though than he does those of his own homeland."

Gerild smirked, "I just like to try to keep up, that's all."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Charlain chimed in.

Link thought he saw Risek slightly roll his eyes, but he couldn't be too sure. If he had though, Link felt somewhat amused to know that Risek's younger sister seemed to get under his skin so much. But he didn't know the woman too well just yet, so he'd just have to wait and see how things turned out.

It was when he had the thought that Gabriel spoke over his sister's comment. "Charlain, all you like to keep up with is the new fashions."

Gabriel was just young enough that he could get away with saying such things - especially in front of company - without getting into too much trouble for it. Charlain cast him a small glare, and then sighed. "Gabriel, I like to keep up with a good bit more than that."

Gabriel had taken a bite of his food, and he looked over at Zelda and Link and said, "Well, she _does_ like her gowns pretty and sparkly." He shrugged despite the annoyed look on his sister's face, and then looked over at Risek, and in a somewhat drastic change of subject, asked, "Risek, can I get hoops put in my ears?"

Link almost choked on his drink. Mirian, who'd been on the other side of the table lifting a pitcher from Arrik's goblet, blinked and stared over at Gabriel, then looked at Risek to see a somewhat confused expression on his face. Charlain looked like she didn't know _what_ to think.

Lukas was the one to ask the question that everyone was thinking and Risek had just figured out however. "Wherever did you get the idea for _that_, my boy?"

Zelda glanced at Link to see a somewhat sheepish expression on his face. Risek had also glanced in his direction, saying, "I think I know."

Lukas looked at the Prince, asking, "Where?"

With a shake of his head and lowering his goblet, Risek replied, "It's not important. Gabriel, no. You're not old enough yet. I doubt father would approve."

"Aww," Gabriel drew out softly and pursed his lips. "But they look good."

Arrik was chuckling softly, and when Gabriel glanced over, Arrik shook his head. "I don't think you're completely prepared to have a poker piercing your ear."

"Huh?," Gabriel went wide eyed. "A poker?"

Arrik's attempt to scare the boy out of the thought for the time being had definitely worked apparently. It was then that Charlain added to it with a nod of her head, "Yes, a sharp poker," in order to enforce Arrik's words harmlessly. She went on, "It's actually a barbaric custom if you ask me."

When she said that, Link lifted a brow slightly. Did she know he had them? Glancing over, he guessed she didn't because Risek cleared his throat and leaned in to say, "Charlain, he wants them because Link has them."

Charlain's eyes went a bit wide and shot a glance over at Link to see the exact thing that Gabriel had been talking about. She looked mortified.

"Oh! I meant no disrespect!"

Link waved a hand quickly, "It's alright, Your Majesty. No offense taken. I know that customs are different here than in Hyrule."

Risek didn't explain that Charlain hadn't meant the words due to differing customs, after all, in a few provinces of Althor, men still pierced their ears who were of higher social status just as in the olden days. It had just become an outdated practice. So Risek knew that Charlain had really meant she didn't think it was fashionable at all and instead thought it looked primitive.

Risek wasn't going to say that though. Not if Link had enough common sense to put it the way he had - and Risek knew for a fact that Link wasn't stupid. Also, Link was respectable, and regardless of whether or not he got the jist of how Charlain actually meant it, he'd never call her out on it. Link was noble, after all, and he would respect the peace of someone else's home.

Charlain looked relieved, but still a bit uncomfortable. She probably wasn't used to being socially awkward after all, if what Link had heard from Risek was true of her. So pushing the thought aside, he focused on the next question which came from Lukas.

"Why did you get them, Link? Was there a custom behind the reasoning?"

Link gave a nod, replying, "Coming of age. I received one set when I was fifteen for maturity, the second when I was seventeen for warrior status, or manhood."

Lukas looked curious. Setting his goblet down from taking a drink, he asked, "Warrior? But you're a Knight, aren't you?"

"Well, it wasn't with Hyrule's court when this was done. I got them from the Gerudo."

"Gerudo? The same that inhabit the desert to the north of the Endigan Mountains?"

Link nodded, "That's where I grew up."

"That's the only part of Hyrule that shares a border with Althor," Lukas smiled, nodding his head, then he got curious again. "But you're not a Gerudo. Their people visit us on occasion. How did you come to live with them?"

Link had food in his mouth, and so Zelda gave Lukas the details. "When he was a boy, he took a long fall and ended up losing his memory. The Gerudo found him and took him in."

Lukas appeared as if he were taking the story in, drawing out finally, "Interesting."

His father smiled, sitting next to him. Having just swallowed a bite to eat, Arrik spoke up, "Link has done several things for his people. He's become something of a living legend according to King Hadinaru, but you'd never know it just from looking at him. Though he does his station justice. He was quick to respond to threat, and from what I've gathered, every Knight of Hyrule has this same dedication to duty. I must say I was very impressed with all of you."

"Thank you, Ambassador," Link said in response politely. Looking over, he noticed that Lukas, Charlain, and Gerild all seemed to be interested in the story, and he tugged at his collar a bit when he felt a slight flush of heat. He was modest, and unsure he liked the conversation being so settled on him, just as when Gabriel had first pointed out his hoops to him.

But it didn't stop when Lukas next said, "I see. I'm curious over something else as well. Rumor has traveled to our lands of course, but I'm unsure what the complete truth is. How was the tyranny King Ganondorf put your people through dealt with?"

Hearing him called 'King' put a sour taste into both Link and Zelda's mouths, but they decided not to correct the Grand Duke. Instead, Zelda replied with the words, "Ganondorf grasped more power than he could handle, and it became his undoing. A battle was fought with his armies by those who resisted him, and we were victorious."

The answer seemed to appease Lukas for the moment. They all knew hearsay of the tale, but none were completely sure what exactly to believe, and the questions continued also. Charlain was the next to ask one.

"Princess, how did you know you were the true daughter of royals to begin with? Weren't you taken as a child to be raised in a village?"

Zelda looked at the raven haired lady and replied, "Those who hid me away told me when I was old enough to understand. They'd been given information about my true past."

"Hmm," Charlain drew out, and then waved her hand, "so you lived your entire life until recently as a commoner?"

"Yes," Zelda replied simply, wondering if Charlain had a point to her questioning, or if she was merely curious.

"I see. What about duty and being raised to serve your people? Are you being given training?"

Zelda didn't mind being asked one bit, but the question just sounded odd somehow. Still, the Hylian Princess wasn't put off however, about to give a response when Risek stepped into the conversation.

"She's perfectly capable as she is, Charlain. Living as a commoner doesn't make one less able to lead their people. It makes them more understanding to what the needs of their people are, and it also toughens up a person's resolve when things get a little hard to handle."

"Well spoken," Lukas nodded in agreement, then he raised his goblet. "I'll toast to it, and to dining with our new friends and future allies."

They raised their goblets to Lukas's words, and Zelda considered that Risek had said essentially the same thing she'd been about to. The look on Charlain's face seemed a bit considerate, but some part of her also looked a little disbelieving. Still, Zelda made absolutely no comment on it. Instead, she simply told Lukas, "Hear, hear," and gave her toast.

As the meal went on, they discussed a few other details of their kingdoms and such, none of the conversation ever going very deep really. Most of it revolved around stories of Risek's first meetings with Zelda and Link, and then to the marriage proposition. When that topic came up, Gabriel looked surprised.

"You asked Zelda to marry you?"

It didn't seem to startle Risek that his brother sounded almost accusing. He simply responded plainly to the question, "No, Gabriel. I asked her father if there was a chance for a marriage to be arranged, but there wasn't."

"Oh," Gabriel sat back, looking confused. "But you don't know her."

"Gabriel," Charlain said, "you know how royal weddings work. I didn't know Lukas well when I married him."

"But you'd _met_ him," Gabriel returned, "and you hated him at first too."

Over the comment, Lukas lifted a brow, giving Charlain a questioning look. Charlain cleared her throat and offered Lukas a little smile. "I might have _disliked_ it a bit," she offered, then gave Gabriel the evil eye. "Gabriel, stop fabricating everything."

Gabriel sighed as if he knew better, then settled his fork down onto his now empty plate. "It's true though," the young boy continued on. "Risek didn't know Zelda at _all_. I thought people had to know one another somehow before they got married."

Mirian had gone over to take his plate and goblet, and as she walked on, she couldn't help a little smile. Gabriel was thirteen years old, so he understood things to a point, but even still, had discrepancies that he didn't feel the need to keep quiet about. She found it very amusing, especially when it came to debunking a custom that she'd always felt was silly without any bias on her part. No one should have ever been forced to marry, royalty or not.

Zelda looked down at Gabriel and told him when he'd given his qualms, "Well, this was a special condition. If I married your brother, an alliance could be more easily formed between our people. So it wasn't specifically a marriage of commonality, but instead one of functionality for the greater good, a way for us to hopefully serve it better."

Gabriel looked as if he understood completely, but he pursed his lips, turning his face toward Risek. "If you'd married her, would you have moved to Hyrule?"

"I don't know, Gabriel," Risek replied, "perhaps later if it turned out to be that Zelda was the only heir to the throne."

"Then I'm glad you're not marrying her. I don't want you to go away."

Risek had a warm smile on his face for once, Gabriel being one of few souls capable of bringing it out in him, and he told the lad, "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

Such was a fact. Especially now that Risek knew who had murdered his best friend. The only thing standing in the way was learning more about what they were dealing with - in specific, who.

When dinner was over, Risek offered to escort the Hylians back to their bedroom, and Gabriel wanted to come along. This being the case, Mirian had to follow because it was her duty to see to it that the young prince was put to bed - or rather, it was the young prince's preference for her to see to that. So they walked up together after Lukas and the others had bid them goodnight, allowing them a bit of time to talk.

"Dinner was delicious," Zelda complimented, "you have some skilled chefs here."

"They learned it from Mirian," Gabriel piped up, apparently content to blow the chambermaid's horn for her. Risek knew the boy did it though because Mirian would never do it for herself. As soon as he had that thought, Mirian proved him right with her next modest line.

"Gabriel, they didn't."

"Sure they did," Gabriel replied, pursing his lips up at her cutely. "You're just modest like Risek said."

Zelda smiled over the way the boy seemed to be so affectionate toward the chambermaid, briefly wondering if she'd grown up in the palace, would she have felt the same affection for such a person. But she thought to ease Mirian's embarrassment a bit, and as they went up the stairs, she said, "Either way, I'm definitely full."

"I'm glad for that, my lady," Mirian responded, holding Gabriel's hand when she stopped at the door to their chambers, looking down at the thirteen year old. "Alright, are you ready for bed?"

"Not really. But," he looked at Link and Zelda, adding, "tomorrow, I don't have classes. Some of my friends are going to the training yards for practice. Maybe you'd like to come if you're not busy."

Gabriel was just politely offering, and both of the Hylians smiled at him. Nodding his head, Link answered for the both of them, "We'll see what we can arrange for you."

Gabriel grinned, seeming very happy with the words. "Great! Well, sleep well. I'll see you later."

"We'll look forward to it. Goodnight, Mirian," Zelda told them both.

Mirian gave a respectful bow and a warm smile, "The same to you, Your Highness. If you need anything, the guards will know where to find me."

The three of them watched Mirian walking off with Gabriel's hand in hers, and Link opened the door to the bed chamber, going inside. Once the door was shut behind them, Zelda took up the task of lighting the candles while she heard Link speaking to Risek.

"So, how is everything?"

Risek glanced from Link to Zelda and back, saying, "A slight bit off to be honest. The first person I noticed acting strangely was Mirian."

"Mirian?," Zelda asked, turning to face them both. "How so?"

"She was acting pensive, as if she wanted to tell me something but she wasn't sure how to put it, nervous. I've known her long enough to tell. But I couldn't ask because Gabriel showed up. Though, she did give me news."

"About what?," Link inquired.

"Well, I went to Lukas to find out for sure. He said there's been a band of traitors found hiding in one of our towns, called Newbern. Some of our Knights, including the new Captain, Aggie, were apparently linked to them, because they turned on their own comrades and refused to carry out orders to infiltrate the homes of those harboring these traitors."

Zelda's head tilted, brows narrowed in thoughtful expression. "Do you think Aggie could be with the White Knights in secret?"

"No," Risek said legitimately. "I've known Aggie almost as long as I knew Marcelle." Shaking his head, he let a soft sigh of breath. "I just can't imagine him being a traitor."

Link thought this over for a moment, and with a wave of his hand, he offered, "I don't like to be suspicious of anyone, especially when I don't know them, but it could be that he had something to do with Marcelle in order to become the Captain."

"I'd thought of that, and I just don't see it. If you'd met Aggie, you'd understand better. He's duty driven, and the way he reacted to news of Marcelle's death," Risek trailed as if those words explained themselves, then shook his head. "No, there's more here, something that's not meeting the eye. I'll have to speak with Mirian before I can figure it out. She's yet to tell me everything she knows."

Zelda exchanged a thoughtful look with Link, then she nodded. "That's the best idea, before any assumptions can be made. Find out what she's seen and heard since you've been away. I know from personal experience that chambermaids tend to hear lots of gossip floating about that they don't mean to. In the meantime, we'll try to get some rest and get more done tomorrow."

Risek looked at them both in turn before he nodded and went to the door. Once he reached it, he stopped, and glanced back at them. "I'm going to instruct Mirian to trust you both, and have her oversee your needs personally. I'd rather her be the one tending you than someone else I'm not completely sure of."

With that said, Risek bid them both a goodnight and took his leave. Once he shut the door behind himself, Link looked over at Zelda, asking, "What do you think?"

Zelda stepped over toward him, fist at her chin, partially covering her mouth. As she considered things, Link put his hand on her arm. That seemed to bring her more to life, a deep sigh escaping her lips as her hand fell back to her side.

Turning violet blues up to him, she slowly shook her head, "I think Risek's right. Too many things could be assumed for now, and those assumptions could knock us off of our feet when the truth is revealed. It's too soon to tell."

Link stared at her for a moment, then slowly gave a nod of his head. "If anything, I think there's three people outside of Risek we can trust completely. The King, Gabriel, and Anamirian. Until we find out more, we need to be careful with what we do."

"Agreed."

With those words, Zelda stepped in to hug Link, and they stayed that way for a short while before they went to retire. Maybe dawn would shed some light on more answers instead of just the kingdom alone.


	36. Control

_Chapter 37_ - _Control_

Gabriel wasn't difficult about going to sleep that night. Of course, since he'd gotten older it had gotten easier, but there'd been several occasions where he wanted to ask questions nonstop. Sleeping soundly now however, Mirian made sure the door was latched properly. Once done, she turned to go to her chambers in the dimly lit hallway when, because of the lack of light, she bummed into someone without even noticing they were there, gasping somewhat loudly.

"It's me, Mirian."

Looking up with surprise on her face as the voice hit her ears, Mirian really hadn't expected to run into Risek, literally _or_ figuratively. But she pushed her surprise away and attempted to see if there was something he wanted in specific. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you. Is everything alright?"

"Yes," Risek replied simply, then asked, "I was curious if you would allow me to see you to your room."

His tone of voice seemed to be suggesting something to her, and with silent realization, Mirian figured out he wanted to tell her - or ask her - something. So she gave a nod, and replied with, "I wouldn't mind, it's been a long day after all."

That much was true anyway. Turning, she allowed Risek to walk with her, heading down the hallway and then the stairs to go to the chambers in which she resided, making it there without much time wasted. Once she had opened the door, she allowed him in, and then shut it behind them both.

Risek stepped toward a few arm chairs that were settled near a circular table and a vase near the center of the room before two arched windows. Mirian liked plant life, and in the vase were flower - planted, not cut - along with several other plants, hanging and settled on the floor alike, decorating the chamber, giving it a very comfortable feel. The last he'd visited the quarters had been to inform Mirian of her brother's disappearance and possible death. Being back here now reminded him of the feelings he had then, and his resolve seemed to fortify itself somehow.

The sound of a door knob latching clicked through the room, and Risek looked back to watch Mirian shutting the door. He wondered briefly if he should inform the woman that he'd identified her brother's murderers, but somehow the thought seemed best saved for later, when he had better, more concrete facts to give her. After all, he didn't want to bring the subject up knowing that it would hurt her feelings.

Risek honestly was a man who could shrug off many things in a cold manner, but Mirian's tears weren't one of them. He didn't want to see that, not now. So he just waited until she'd given him her attention before he said what he'd originally come to.

"Did you need something?," Mirian asked as she turned to face him, her look a bit concerned.

"Yes. I needed to know what you were keeping from me earlier when I went to see my father. I could tell you were worried."

Mirian had figured as much. Taking a deep breath, she reached her hand up to scratched her temple, mindlessly sweeping some red hair away from her ear in the process. "Yes, I," she started, then paused, looking up at him. "I've heard things since you've been away, things that," with a shake of her head, she let her hands fall, "honestly, I don't know what to make of them."

"Then start at the beginning," Risek urged her on, motioning to the chairs near him. "Do we need to sit?"

She looked at the chairs before slowly nodding and going to them. Settling herself, she watched the Prince doing the same thing, and she let herself gather her thoughts before she started to speak. After all, her words needed to be precise, and she wanted to make sure they weren't misunderstood at all. With her golden eyes cast ahead in thought, she began once she'd figured out the best way to begin.

"The first odd thing I noticed came from your sister, actually. I overheard her speaking with Gerild. I couldn't see them because I'd knelt down to crawl beneath a table for some fruit I'd dropped when they walked into the room. They had no idea I was there, and their words were odd, somewhat harsh, as if they might've been making a deal over something. Charlain told Gerild she would have his payment ready, and he was being fairly rude to her as well, telling her to shut her mouth for five seconds when she nagged and things of that nature. I don't know what they were talking about, but I think you can agree, it's very strange."

Risek stared at her, contemplating the words, and the look on his face waylaid the way she'd felt when she'd heard the conversation spoken. He looked confused. Gerild had told Charlain to shut her mouth for five seconds? It was true, Gerild had a snappy temper from time to time, but for him to speak to Charlain that way, even in private, seemed completely strange.

Mirian looked ahead again before she continued. "That's not the only thing. I spoke with Aggie a few days ago. He asked me to meet him at the Shrine of Justice late one evening because he wanted to be sure we were alone. I agreed, somewhat reluctantly because it seemed like an odd request. When I got there, Aggie asked me if I'd noticed anything strange going about the Palace lately. So I told him what I just told you."

Risek continued to listen to the story, finding himself hooked on the words, wanting to know more. After a brief pause to let it sink in, she looked back at the Prince and continued to tell it.

"When I told him that, he seemed somehow," she shook her head, "heavily concerned. But when I asked, he just turned away. I couldn't get an explanation out of him, not a decent on, but what he did say has me very paranoid. His exact words were trust no one, Mirian, and don't tell a single soul what you've heard. Wait for Risek's return."

Inhaling and then slowly breathing a sigh, she glanced down at her hands in her lap and added, "After he said that, he told me he was going to do the same thing before he told anything he knew to anyone. And now," she waved a hand, "we don't know _what_ he was going to say because he's gone."

Mirian cast her golden eyed gaze in Risek's direction, seeing that he'd looked forward in thought. To most, his expression was unreadable, but Mirian knew that something was there that he was unsure of, something more he potentially knew that maybe he couldn't explain to her.

"I don't mean to cause suspicion, Risek, especially not now when you've just returned home–"

"No," he stopped her. "Don't apologize." Turning his green eyes toward her, he added, "I needed to hear this. You were right in telling me, no matter what the effect is."

"Then," Mirian drew out, her gaze going downward in consideration, "does that mean something really is off? Because, try as I might, I can't imagine Aggie being up to something that goes against the crown."

"I agree completely," Risek said, his gaze trailing ahead again. Did this mean that his sister was up to something? She was very high and mighty, but not malicious, so it was somewhat difficult to second guess. Or perhaps Gerild was the one pulling the strings here. That was much easier to believe since Gerild was a hard man to read sometimes and seemed to have a bit of an angry streak in him. Not that Risek could claim to know him _that_ well. But that only doubled the ease of believing that Gerild could have been up to something.

If this were true though, then what were they planning? What was Charlain paying Gerild for, and what did Aggie know about the situation? Did it even tie in with the White Knights at all? Or was it something entirely different? Well, there _was_ a way to find out.

Risek had to find Aggie. Apparently he had some answers, and they were very much needed. But finding him would be difficult. The Captain had been labeled treasonous and as such was now an outlaw, so he'd be in hiding. As skilled as the man was, finding him could take a good bit of time.

"My Prince?"

Mirian's voice broke through Risek's concentration. He'd gone off very deep into thought, so deep in fact that he'd forgotten he was sitting in her room with her. Looking over at her, the jolt back to reality was clear on his face for a moment before he settled his gaze away and told her an apology.

"I'm sorry, I was just trying to figure out my options now."

Mirian gave a slow nod of her head, uncertain what he might've been considering altogether, so she asked, "Is something going on? I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

"No, I don't mind. But I'm also unsure of the answer," Risek replied. "Until I can find out," he looked back over, taking her face in for a moment quietly, "I want you to take a personal watch over Link and Princess Zelda, no one else. You can trust them, Mirian. And I trust you. The last thing I want is something to effect either of them and hinder their presence here."

Mirian furrowed her brows, golden eyes curious. She could understand that, but he'd sounded as if he might've meant something in specific. So she asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I trust them, and I would feel better knowing you and Gabriel were closer to someone I can trust right now."

When he said that, Mirian knew something definitely had to be going on. She wanted to question him about it as well, but at the same time, she didn't feel that it was her place to, that she should simply take his words on good faith. Deciding she really had no other option regardless of what he might've been able to tell her, she gave him a nod of her head. "I will."

"Good," he replied, sighing out a deep breath before he stood to leave. Heading to the door, grabbing the knob, he looked back to add, "If you overhear anything else, let me know it immediately."

"Of course."

Getting her immediate agreement, he looked her over, taking in a breath to control his feelings. Amidst everything going on, the last thing Risek needed was a struggle with how he felt about the woman. This was definitely not the time or place for it. He'd have plenty of time to think about it again once this was all over.

A stony expression hardened his features before he opened the door and walked from the room, bidding her, "Sleep well, Mirian."

"You as well, Prince."

He came to a stop when the title hit his ears, wanting to say _Risek_ in correction of the word _Prince_, but only nodded without looking at her while shutting the door behind himself to leave. It was always a slippery slope when he had to speak to her alone lately, his only method to keep himself in check being the expressionless faces he'd become so good at utilizing. Otherwise he would've lingered in her doorway trying to make sure she didn't need anything before she'd gone to bed, which would have been a pretty suspicious role reversal considering their stations.

Heading down the hallway to his bedchambers up a few flights of stairs, Risek considered everything Mirian had just told him instead of his affections in order to hopefully keep his emotions for her at bay for the time being. For now he would have to try to rest, and seek out Aggie tomorrow after relaying the news to Link and Zelda.

Hopefully he wouldn't have to look too far to find the Captain of the Knights. He had the feeling that many answers he sought could possibly be in Aggie's grasp and that could have been the real reason for his supposed treachery toward the crown. Risek's one comfort in all of this was that they hadn't seen any of the White Knights on the way to Althor, so the chances were that their numbers were still in Hyrule, searching for the Triforce. The longer that took them - which Risek knew they'd never find it there because it _wasn't_ there - the more time he had to figure this riddle out.

Risek prepared himself for sleep with the considerations in mind, and hoped that in the meantime, nothing else developed.

_Finally. Everything is set up just the way we need it to be. The Legend has left his homeland, and even taken Zelda with him. We'll be able to double our efforts in Hyrule much more easily now. Though, the amulet is still out of reach. Without the amulet, our efforts will be for naught._

_Another downside to the Hylians leaving Hyrule is that the Prince is now back in Althor. Risek has already proven to us that he will not bend, and he is in fact clever, so he needs to be cut from the picture completely. We have the King exactly where we want him - unable to rule and get in our way. Now we'll have to make sure his son receives the same treatment._

_Our upper hand lies in that no doubt Prince Risek believes we are all still in Hyrule. So it won't be hard to have him cut from the equation at all. Though, we won't be able to use our typical methods of mind control, not with so many witnesses potentially about. So we've placed something special into the Hylian's bedchambers. This will get the job done, and keep attention away from us long enough to find the amulet._

_One person may know for sure of the amulet's location, the head chambermaid, Anamirian. Having the job she does, she comes into contact with more people than anyone else in the Palace. We're certain the Amulet is located there after performing the hazing rituals with our still muted abilities, we've just been unable to find a precise location. So we'll have to keep a close eye on the young lady to see if she's perhaps picked up some information without even knowing of it._

The ocean wasn't too far away, but far enough that Link was surprised when he could hear the soft winds blowing and the waves crashing in the distance from his room. It was definitely a calming sound, and he fell into a deep sleep without even realizing it. Nights like that were good ones indeed.

As he lay there peacefully, a soft glowing light began to emanate from inside of an ornamental vase settled onto the night stand next to his bed. The white glow lifted like steam from the porcelain object, floating toward the sleeping Hylian's pillow.

Rolling over them slowly, it shifted up, over Link's ear, then across his face. Link's brows furrowed a bit as if his instincts were telling him something was wrong. The misting glow grew still for a moment before his face, and when Link drew in his breath, the glowing light was inhaled through his nostrils, filling him and disappearing from sight after only a few moments.

Link twitched in his sleep, his expression becoming more and more distasteful, and he turned his head to the side. He began having odd dreams that he didn't understand, people screaming beneath the trampling hooves of white and grey horses ridden by large White Knights - destroying those who were deemed unworthy in the eyes of the Goddesses.

He jolted again, taking in yet another deep breath, and then sat up, eyes squeezed shut as a hand lifted to his head. Finally, his breathing became more even, and he let his eyes open, a sense of certainty in his path and a righteousness in the eyes of the Goddesses washing over him like the waves he could hear in the distance.

His eyes were stark white.

Zelda awoke swiftly to the sound of rain beating down at her window. Sitting up, her bronzed blonde hair tousled over her shoulders, she turned her violet blue eyes over at the door that led into Link's half of their chambers with concern wrenching her gut. Pushing herself up from bed, she hurried to his door and grabbed her robe along the way.

Zelda wasted no time. Once her robe was covering her shoulders, she made it to the door and grabbed the knob. When the portal came open, and she looked at Link's bed, she only found an empty spot with the sheets pushed to the side. Thunder sounded, and Zelda looked across the room and toward the area where he'd settled most of his belongings, including his weapons.

Lightening accompanied the thunder a moment later, and she spotted what she'd been looking for. There against his shield lay the sheath of the Master Sword, but the sheath was empty, the sword itself gone.

"No," she gasped out softly, turning to the door in order to go find him. It hadn't been a dream she'd had after all, but rather, a vision.

Her arrival in the hallway was a lonely one, but Zelda felt she had an idea of where Link had gone from the foresight she'd just received. She didn't stop moving, making her way to the tower and through the doors, up the stairs by herself quietly, hoping she could find him and get him out of this trance before any wrong could be done.

Once she found her way to the top of the tower and around the corner into the corridor it connected to, thunder pounded through the clouds outside, and lightening picked up just in time for her to catch a good glimpse of Link walking heading to the other end of the hallway. By the time she'd arrived, he rounded the corner.

"Link!"

He didn't stop, and Zelda moved on, heading swiftly in behind him. As she came to the turn he'd taken, she stopped because he was gone. Breathing out, Zelda knew he was in one of the rooms, she just had to be sure she went to the right one. Mistakes could mean complete failure in stopping this.

Link stopped walking when he stood over the bed where his target lay. In his mind, he could hear a voice telling him again and again _kill the eldest Prince of Althor_. _Kill Risek Miason_. _He is unworthy, a blasphemer, a traitor to his own kind_. Link tried to argue with the voice, tried to reason with it, but he'd lost control of himself, and now stared down at the sleeping Prince.

The Master Sword glinted as it was lifted up, poised just above Risek's chest.

_Kill him. Stab the heart of the blasphemer_.

_No, stop, what are you doing!_ Despite his inner struggles, he'd lifted his sword anyway. He had to stop himself, but it was too late.

Out of control, Link stabbed the blade downward with a deadly intent he couldn't get control of.


	37. Intervention

_Chapter 38_ - _Intervention_

"_**Link**_!"

Zelda had come into the room just as Link was about to stab the Prince, the Master Sword rushing downward toward his chest. Risek's eyes opened when he heard the Hylian's name called, but not in time to stop the descent of his blade, or to even realize that he needed to roll to the side to avoid his impending murder.

But something happened that - in the chaos of the moment - neither of them had truly expected.

The Triforce symbol on the back of Link's had awoken and surged to life with a golden energy. In turn, so did the one on the back of Risek's hand, as well as Zelda's. Just before the Master Sword could connect with the Prince's chest and plunge through it in a devastating strike, a solid force knocked the blade away and out of Link's grasp, sending the Master Sword spiraling into the wall above the bed.

Everything stopped and instantly grew silent, and Risek sat forward, looking up to see Link turning back to him from cringing away in the face of the power that had prevented him from killing the Prince. When Risek saw his eyes, he realized why Link was there, and why he'd awoken with the Hylian's sword above him. Link had gone under the control of the White Knights power somehow.

What he didn't realize was _how_ Link had been stopped, but Zelda did, and she moved toward Link when she saw that his eyes were still white. She suddenly stopped in her steps however when Link reached up and grabbed his head as if he might've been in pain. The room was still awash in a golden glow, and she knew that the same power which had stopped Link wasn't yet finished, and she allowed it continue it's work. That power rose up again to wipe away the magic enchanting his body.

Link fell to his knees, and Risek noticed that the golden energy of the Goddesses was flowing out of all three of them and swirling around the Knight who'd tumbled over. Link suddenly began to hack, coughing up a white mist that sputtered out onto the floor and then dissipated into nothingness.

Link could feel his body being drained of the poisonous magics almost literally, finding it difficult to breath at first, coughing on the magic that was coming up out of him. But it did flow away, and once it lost it's hold, he felt his muscles going limp, falling forth onto his hands to try to hold himself steady.

As this happened, and Link finally managed to inhale his breath again without any struggle, doing so sharply, Zelda went to his side. The golden glow faded almost as quickly as it had appeared, and while Zelda tried to help Link to sit back, Risek noticed the emblem he sported beginning to fade in the glow it had exuded only a moment before. What he didn't understand that Zelda knew completely was that the will of three were the same - none of the ones holding the three halves of the Triforce truly wanted Risek harmed, or Link under control, and their wish had been granted.

The Triforce was more powerful than an ancient Dragon Scale.

But she had no time to explain that to the Althorian Prince. Before she could even ask him if he were alright, candlelight illuminated the room along with a guard's loud demand.

"What's going on here!"

Link and Zelda both looked back at the guard, and when they did, he could see Risek and above him, a sword wedged into the wall. His eyes went wide beneath the guard of his helmet. Two of his comrades had just flanked his sides behind him, and they all saw the same as the first.

Risek realized exactly what this looked like, and he tried to speak up, "No, it's not–"

"Seize them!"

Zelda looked at Link, who'd just managed to regain himself enough to look up to see the guards heading toward them. Just as Link was pulled up and Zelda was also pulled a bit away from him by the guards, Risek got out of bed and issued his command sternly.

"_Release them_. _Now_."

The guards stopped in their motions, looking back at their Prince, one of them shaking his head, "But Your Majesty..."

"I said release them. They are not responsible for this."

Confused, but without option, the guards finally relinquished their holds, and Zelda moved back over to Link. When she reached him, Arrik came into the room, and he looked fairly concerned, Lukas behind him.

"What in the name of thunder is going on!"

The guards moved to the side to allow the Ambassador in, and when Arrik saw Link and Zelda, then the Master Sword stuck in the wall above Risek's bed, he went a bit wide eyed. Lukas seemed just as confused as his father did, but unlike his father, he looked a bit more angry.

"Arrik," Risek started, stepping toward him, "this was _not_ Link's doing. It was the same as in Hyrule."

Hearing all of this, Lukas looked over at Risek from where Link and Zelda were standing, and then asked, "What's the same as in Hyrule? Did he attack you there as well?"

"_No_," Risek spoke forcefully, "he was being controlled by something we've yet to identify just like a few people in Hyrule were whom ended up attacking Princess Zelda without any control over themselves. Whatever it is has apparently followed us back here."

Zelda and Link both knew why Risek was reluctant with the details. Either of the guards could have been in on this whole thing, and to let them know that Risek had an inkling of who they were would make them cover their tracks much better.

Arrik exchanged a glance with his son once he'd gotten Risek's explanation, and then he let out a sigh of breath. "I see. Link managed to regain control of himself before harming you?"

Risek slowly nodded, "Zelda came in just before he was able to cause me any harm."

"Good," Arrik said, but his expression was still a bit grim. "Still, under his own control or not, he made an attempt on your life. I can't, with good conscious, just allow this to be a slap on the wrist. It may happen again, not to mention, it's doubtful anyone would understand completely."

Risek wanted to argue, because this really wasn't Link's fault, but before he could speak, Zelda stepped forward and surprised him a little.

"I agree, Ambassador. You should place us on house arrest. Keep us in our chambers until you can conduct a thorough investigation into the matter."

"Zelda?," Risek asked. Link wasn't completely sure what to make of her words himself, but he supposed she was telling them to do this because of the same instance Arrik had just mentioned. There was a possibility that it could happen again - also, she had the diplomacy of the kingdoms to think about. If they resisted, it could end up looking very badly, and put everything out of balance. Like it or not, this was an instance where Link knew he had to relinquish control to her despite his duty and desire to protect her from anything malicious or even distasteful.

Though he didn't like the thought, he bit his tongue, trying to remember that her duty was to serve her people and in Althor, to serve diplomacy. Not to mention he had to obey her commands as a Princess. It was a good thing he trusted her judgement, he thought briefly.

Looking back at the Prince, Zelda nodded certainly of herself, "It would be the safest thing to do, Prince Risek. The Ambassador is right. It could happen again. The next time, we may not be so fortunate. I didn't come to Althor to have your blood on my hands."

Arrik seemed to like the idea himself because it definitely put a simplicity to the situation that was desirable, and when Zelda looked back over at him, he'd nodded his head. "Yes, this sounds like the best conclusion for the moment, and it will keep you both from the dungeons, which I do not want. I'm terribly sorry to do even this, but I think it is well within reason."

Lukas looked a bit angry, turning to his father, "You can't be serious. They just attacked Risek. They tried to kill the crowned Prince, and you want to place them on house arrest!"

"Lukas," Arrik started on a tone of voice that was meant to tell him to calm down, looking up at his son, "there's more here than meets the eye. I know for fact that something strange has been going on, and now that it is happening here in Althor, I'm much more concerned for the safety of our people than worrying what dungeons to store them all in. So until the truth reveals itself, this is the best option for us."

Lukas took in a breath to calm his temper, then he gave a nod of agreement to his father's dictation. "Very well. Guards, escort the Princess and her Knight back to their chambers and remain there to stand guard at their doors to be sure that they don't leave there until further conclusion can be met."

"Yes, my lord," came the guard's reply, and one of them turned to go and grasp the sword that was still jutting out of the wall.

Noticing this, Link lifted a hand, saying, "You won't–"

He was cut off when one of the guards shook his head at him and pointed, telling him to go, as if they wanted to confiscate his weapon for the time being. That's when Link heard what he thought he would.

"This sword weighs a ton! Sir, it won't budge!"

Zelda stopped near Arrik and looked back to say softly to him, "Ambassador, would Link be able to collect his sword. He's the only one who can carry it. We'll leave it in the hallway outside of the room with the guards once we're back there."

Arrik considered those words for a moment, then he said with a single nod, "Fine," before glancing at Link, "as long as you're actually...you."

"If I wasn't," Link started, heading toward his weapon, "I wouldn't feel so full of shame right now, so I must be me."

The guard watched with a perplexed expression as Link reached up and easily tugged the Master Sword from the wall where it had been lodged, and then turned around to let them take him to their chamber. Zelda put her arm around his, and Link gave a sorrowful expression in Risek's direction just before they left the room.

Risek saw it, wishing he could say something to let Link know he didn't blame him at all, but he knew that now was not the right time, and something like that wouldn't be wise in front of Arrik and especially Lukas, or the guards for that matter with the possibilities of unwanted ears about. But he became distracted anyway when Arrik moved toward him after the Hylians left.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," Risek said, his tone harsh. "I'm more concerned about what possessed him to do that, _how_ it was done."

With a lowly made sigh, Arrik turned and looked down at the floor. "Yes, I realize that. We'll just have to conduct an investigation, as the Princess suggested."

"I still don't understand why you've only placed them on house arrest," Lukas spoke up, apparently still angry over the whole thing irregardless of what he'd heard.

"Because the same thing happened in Hyrule," Risek explained again. "Zelda and Link have both been attacked by friends and allies who've inexplicably lost control of themselves just long enough to attack them and try to murder them. Some type of magic, and I saw the same effect it had on them with my own two eyes appearing in Link."

"What effect?," Lukas inquired, turning to face the Prince.

"His eyes were white until Zelda got through to him," Risek explained, the slight white lie a necessity. After all, Risek wasn't completely certain _how_ Link had been stopped, but he did know it had to do with the Triforce, and that was one secret he'd promised to spill to absolutely no one. So for the moment, in his own confusion over the matter, the lie was definitely not going to hurt anything.

Instead, he mentioned a more important fact right after his previous words, "Whoever tried to have me murdered just now hasn't set foot in my room all night long."

"Magic," Lukas drew out, and became curious over the matter. "Mind control? Who here would know how to perform such a feat?"

Aggie might've known who, Risek considered for the moment. But he shook his head, "No idea."

"Perhaps one amongst those traitors you mentioned to us, Lukas. We should double our efforts to find them." Arrik turned and went to shut Risek's door, then looked over at the two of them, but more specifically Risek. "I have a request to put to you though, before we leave."

"What is that?"

Shaking his head, Arrik looked a bit dejected as if what he was about to say pained him. "Spend little time with the Hylians. I can't help but become suspicious of them. I'm not saying that they're somehow engineering this, after all, I know that Zelda was run through due to similar circumstances in Hyrule, but miraculously she is fine. Something just seems highly amiss to me over this whole thing, and I'd rather you not risk yourself knowing they may be unwittingly perpetuating this until we know more about what we're dealing with."

Risek couldn't help himself from furrowing his brows and shaking his head. "Zelda was near death when we found her, Arrik. Link was wrought with grief. Had I not been there to suggest the use of one of the fairies native to Hyrule, she _would_ have died. This has in no way been engineered by her _or_ by Link."

"I know, and I hate myself for feeling so suspicious. But don't you think it's strange that _they're_ being targeted so frequently? And now you have been also. I'd just feel better knowing you weren't interacting with them on a frequent basis. At least until more can be found out. Do this for me as a friend. You're like one of my own, and if harm came to you, I'd never forgive myself."

Risek knew for a fact that Link and Zelda had nothing to do with this, but in order to appease Arrik, he gave a nod of his head in agreement. Besides, Arrik wasn't going to notice if he went to see them anyway, not that he specifically wanted to deny the man. But in a sense, he had to.

"Very well," Risek began, "but if you don't mind, I'd like to try to finish getting some rest. Tomorrow is going to be busy more than likely, especially now that this has happened."

"Of course," Arrik nodded in agreement. Looking at Lukas, he opened the door again and told his son, "You should as well. Especially if we're going to find those men soon enough to stop this."

Lukas went to the door after giving Risek a friendly pat on the shoulder to show that he was glad the Prince was fine, and once the two men left, Risek sighed out his breath. He didn't feel well knowing that they would be doubling their efforts under the idea that someone amongst the traitors could be perpetrating what was happening. What if they found these people, and then tried to forcefully take them into custody just to have them resist? They could be killed and that would leave Risek, Link, and Zelda in the same position they were in now.

Risek slouched down onto the side of his bed. If things got much more complicated than this, he figured they'd all probably go insane.

"Link, don't be hard on yourself. It wasn't your fault."

Link and Zelda had just arrived back in their quarters, and Zelda was heading with him to his half of the room, through the door and into the chamber where he'd been sleeping before he'd gone under possession.

She'd been trying to comfort him, knowing this was terribly difficult for him, regardless of the circumstances. As he opened the door and stepped into the bed chambers where he'd been sleeping, he told her, "I know, but I couldn't fight it. I kept hearing this voice telling me to kill him, telling me that he was a blasphemer, and I tried to stop myself, but I was almost watching the actions of someone else it seemed."

Once he'd made it to his bed, he turned and sat down on it, elbows to knees and hands to jaw. With a deep exhale of breath, he watched Zelda heading toward his night stand.

Glancing over to watch her, she picked up a porcelain vase settled there and heard a distinct clatter sounding from inside of it. When Link heard it, his brows narrowed, and Zelda turned the vase over so that the top was at her opposite palm. A small, clear stone tumbled out of the ornament and into her hand.

"What's that?"

Settling the vase back down, turning and staring at the stone for a moment, Zelda explained, "I had a vision of you while I was sleeping. I thought it was a dream at first, but I realized it was our telepathic bond trying to warn me that something was wrong." Looking over at Link where he sat, she added, "This is a binding stone. They can be used to charge whatever magic you know how to store within it, then released whenever the person who's charged it deems fit. They're not uncommon, even in Hyrule."

Link took a deep breath, reaching over to pick the transparent stone up and look at it for himself. "Then one of those Knights put their mind control power into it to...infect me...while I slept."

Zelda nodded her head. "Which tells us two things. One, someone was here while we were out touring today, and whoever put it here has a good knowledge of the arcane. Not many are skilled enough to use one of those properly."

Link's brows narrowed a slight bit. "Risek has arcane abilities. I wonder who he learned them from?"

"I don't know, but when we see him again, we should ask him," Zelda pointed out. "It could lead to the culprit of all of this, and more importantly, someone who's at least affiliated with the White Knights." Turning, she sat down next to Link, and took his hand, pulling it into her lap. "We could also ask Mirian if she saw anyone coming into our chambers while we were away, or knows of someone who might."

Link gave a nod of his head, reaching out and settling the stone down onto the night stand. He felt a bit better now that they had a course of action to follow instead of blindly feeling their way about as they had been. "Risek said he was going to tell her to tend to us personally, so we should see her in the morning. Unless, of course, things have changed now that we're on house arrest."

"No, I doubt they will with Risek on our side. We'll see her again, and soon."

"I hope so, because sitting back and waiting like this is really starting to get on my nerves. I feel helpless."

Zelda reached around his back and leaned up to kiss his cheek. She would've suggested trying to get more sleep, but she knew they were both too wound up for that. One night in Althor, and already, bad things were happening. With a soft sigh of breath, she laid her head against his shoulder.

"So do I Link, but the truth won't hide itself forever, not with what these Knights want. Something of that calibur is far too big to be hidden for long."

Link turned and kissed the top of her head, then leaned his cheek against it. As he thought, and considered how he wanted to tell Risek he was sorry even if for all intents and purposes the attack hadn't actually been his fault, he let his eyes drift down to the back of his left hand where it rested on his leg, the golden emblem stained there on his skin.

"Well, maybe not completely helpless," he mentioned as he lifted his hand up. "Apparently, the Triforce is more powerful than a Dragon Scale."

Zelda looked at his hand, considering how the Triforce had prevented the Prince from dying. "The common goal of three," she nodded. " It gave us what we all wanted, Risek alive, and you under your own influence."

"That gives me hope," Link added, putting his hand back on his leg before looking down at her where she leaned against him. When their eyes met, he finished with the words, "It means we'll be able to overthrow them. We just have to know where and how to find them. But when we do, we can beat them."

A little smile tugged at the corners of Zelda's mouth, and she closed her eyes to let Link kiss her, leaning into him fully. He was right. The only thing left was patience.


	38. Possibility

_Chapter 39_ -_ Possibility_

Mirian arrived at Link and Zelda's chambers in the afternoon instead of the morning due to all that had gone on and Arrik giving her specific instructions to keep a close eye on Gabriel since he wanted to go to the training grounds. They also sent a guard to accompany them, which Gabriel and his friends complained about the entire time.

Mirian definitely understood why they were so put out by the instance as well. Children wanted to play, and having so many adults around didn't leave them with many options for fun because they had to behave so much. Not that she wanted them misbehaving, but she knew those children, and knew their idea of mischief wasn't all that bad.

But Mirian had been shocked over what had happened the night before nonetheless and the reason for her chaperoning to begin with. Risek told her when he'd gotten the chance to, and asked her to relay a message to Link and Zelda for him.

When noon rolled around, she was back in the kitchens making lunch for their Hylian guests, which she still considered them because she trusted Risek's judgement when he said that Link wasn't in control during the attack. Heading to their chambers, she unlocked the door with the keys she had as the head chambermaid, and stepped inside carrying the tray of food she'd prepared.

Link had been tending to some of his gear. He'd decided to don his green tunic and his windsock considering the events that had taken place instead of wearing a more casual outfit as he had the day before, and Zelda was staring out of the window in thought. They'd just spoken with Myriad through the stone she'd slipped into one of Link's pouches before they'd left Hyrule, and the Sage's advice had been for patience - what was happening now was doing so for a good reason, and that a message they should follow would come to them soon.

It made Zelda question if she'd had any visions, and Myriad told them she hadn't seen specifics, only glimmers of what _could_ come to pass, and that one of those possibilities was a war between Hyrule and Althor - definitely not the road they wanted to take.

When Anamirian arrived, Link turned to look at the door, seeing the chambermaid heading toward the table in the room with a tray of food in her hands before she looked over at them both, evident sorrow alight in her golden eyes.

"I'm so sorry for all of this. I was surprised when the Prince told me what had happened to you both."

Link glanced up at Zelda from where he sat, and then pushed himself to his feet, asking, "What did Risek tell you exactly?"

Mirian waved a hand and explained, "That you were controlled, someone made you attack him, someone who is one of the White Knights of Alnaric, which I'm still having trouble believing, but I trust him. He told me everything, and said not to repeat it to anyone else. I'm still shocked that all of this is going on. But he also said that you and he were confronted by them in the flesh so to speak, so he knew for certain what they were."

Link gave a nod of his head, "He's right. What's going on is bigger than it looks."

"Mirian," Zelda added in question, "when did Risek tell you this?"

"This morning. I was making breakfast for the King incase he woke up. When I took it to the King's chambers, Risek was there, saying he knew I would be by eventually, and that he needed to talk to me."

"Then, he hasn't any word on how an investigation is going?"

"Not yet, no," Mirian shook her head. "But he told me that they were going to double their efforts into finding Aggie and the people that he's potentially hiding with because they believe that the one behind the attack on Risek last night could be among them. I also heard through others talking that Risek was meeting with Lukas and Arrik later today to further discuss your situation, whether you should simply be escorted back to Hyrule, or whether you should actually be tried because of the circumstances."

Zelda sighed out a slow breath, looking over at Link with concern in her eyes. "Link, we can't let them put us on trial. Whoever set this up is bound to be about."

"I know," Link nodded, "and that means we won't get a fair trial, which could lead to what Mother warned us about."

With a nod, Zelda looked back over at Mirian and told her, "Come with me, Link and I found something you need to take to Risek. Something that proves that searching for those men may not be necessary because apparently, the person behind the attack is here in the Palace, or they were yesterday."

Mirian blinked in curiosity, following the Hylians toward the door to the chambers that Link had slept in the night before, and Zelda pulled up the binding stone to show to the chambermaid.

"What's that?," Mirian asked, holding out her hand when Zelda gave the item to her.

"It's a binding stone," Zelda explained, telling her what the stone was used for. "It was placed in this vase last night containing the same powers the White Knights of Alnaric have been using to control people's minds." Once she'd given the explanation, Mirian returned a startled expression, and Zelda nodded. "Do you know of anyone who might have come to our room while we were looking about the Palace yesterday evening?"

"No," Mirian shook her head, and sad expression on her face. "I have no idea, I was in the kitchens preparing dinner all evening long until I went to find you."

Link stepped forward and asked, "No one came looking for us?"

"Well, not specifically," Mirian replied. "But Lukas did say to go fetch you right before dinner. Though, he didn't seem to question where you were. I think he believed that you were here."

"He probably did," Link grumbled out, pursing his lips a bit. That marked Lukas off the list of suspects that could have been in their chamber the day before - maybe.

"Well, don't worry too much," Mirian added when she saw the look on Link's face, "I _am_ the head chambermaid. I assign the servants their duties. Normally, I have an older woman named Hildia cleaning this section of the Palace. She might have seen someone about yesterday evening."

The words made Link smile, and he nodded. "That's a start. This Hildia wouldn't happen to know much about binding stones, would she?"

"Oh goodness, no," Mirian shook her head, nearly laughing at the thought. "The woman can't even cook soup, which is why she's never in the kitchens, let alone cast spells." Putting the binding stone in her pocket so that she could give it to Risek later, she went to start cleaning things up around their room, though she saw that the two of them had already made their own beds and put most things away.

"My, you two are definitely tidy ones. Now what am I to say as a decent excuse for staying so long?"

Link glanced down at the bed, and then he shrugged and tugged on the pillows, pulling the blanket out of place. "I'll remember to restrain Zelda the next time she had the urge to clean up a little so that you can sit around with us longer."

Seeing this, and the newly messy bed, Mirian couldn't help but smile over the way Link had said and done all of that. He even added when he was finished, "There you go."

"Link," Zelda said, a chiding tone to her voice.

"What? She needed a reason, right? Someone might get suspicious otherwise." Link shrugged his shoulders though a little grin was starting to tug at his lips.

Zelda shook her head over the words, but she heard Mirian snickering softly. Glancing over at her while she started fixing the mess he'd just made, she informed Link, "You know, you remind me of my brother."

"Risek said the same thing," Link nodded in reply. "Marcelle, right?"

"Yes," Mirian affirmed for him. While she smoothed the sheets out again, she went on, "So, what else has the Prince told you about?"

Link thought back over the things he knew, saying, "Risek told me about a lot of things, including his mother."

Mirian's eyes went a little wide with surprise, and she stood back up straight, a pillow in her hands. "Now that _is_ odd. But," she turned and placed the pillow onto the bed again, fluffing it up a bit, "if he said you remind him of Marcelle, then he probably felt as if he knew you."

"That's what he told me. He said maybe because I reminded him of Marcelle, he must've felt a little more comfortable talking about it. He also said he's known the both of you all of his life."

"He has," Mirian gave with a nod. "Marcelle used to love relating a story of when he was about six years old and I was just an infant that tends to embarrass him, or in the least, annoy him."

"What was that?," Link asked, completely interested, giving Zelda a sheepish look when she lifted a brow at him as if to tell him to behave without words.

Mirian looked at Link a bit hesitantly, but then she just smiled, saying, "Well, Marcelle was watching over me while our father was in the stable. But suddenly our father gave a yell for help, and with no one else to turn to, he handed me over to Risek so he could go to the stables. By the time Marcelle came back, he said I'd spit up all over Risek. The look on his face was rather distasteful, and he couldn't stop laughing at him, telling him how it was in his hair even as he took me back while Risek stormed out to go clean himself off."

Link was grinning nearly from ear to ear, somehow able to visualize the entire situation, and he failed horribly at containing his snickers despite Zelda's warning gaze.

"Sorry," Link apologized, "I think that story is only funny if you know Risek's disposition."

"Well," Mirian smiled, "Risek wasn't _always_ so stoic as he's become lately. Duty and his father's illness has taken it's toll. But it's always been an embarrassing story to him I think."

Link gave a nod, and Zelda looked as if she could relate on a certain level when Mirian mentioned duty and such taking it's toll. But Zelda changed the subject a bit, saying, "You two must be very good friends. It's good to know that you can both remember your brother and offer comfort in times of need."

Mirian's smile slowly faded over the mention. When it did, Zelda tilted her head curiously, "I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?"

"No," Mirian replied, "you're right, but it's not that simple. I...well, Risek is the Prince. He doesn't have much time to sit and talk about Marcelle with me, as much as I might wish he did."

Link pursed his lips, feeling sorry for the girl in that she was probably pretty good friends with Risek regardless of their social status but couldn't just talk to him whenever she wanted with all that was going on lately. So he said, "Well, there has to be someone you talk about him with."

"Actually," Mirian admitted when Link suggested it, "this is the most I've spoken of him since I lost him. Sometimes Aggie took the time out to come see me, but he didn't know Marcelle as well as Risek did. Mostly he only wanted to make sure I wasn't lonely."

Link looked at Zelda, sharing a somewhat sad expression with her. "That's not good, Mirian. You need to be able to let it out. If you don't, you might explode."

"I know," she nodded, then gave them a smile, "sometimes I feel like I might, but Gabriel keeps me occupied a good bit of the time. He's something like the little brother I never had instead of the older brother I lost."

Zelda gave a genuine, kind smile. "You two do seem to be close. That's good, especially since Gabriel lost his mother."

Mirian had no more chores, but she didn't want to leave. She was definitely enjoying their conversation, so she decided she could spare a few more minutes and say that there was a little spill she'd had to take care of. With a nod given in the Princess's direction, she agreed.

"He's a very sweet young boy. Sometimes he has his moments of course, but I do care for him very much. You two were all he talked about last night, and he was sad that you couldn't come to the training grounds today."

Link rubbed the back of his neck, pursing his lips to the side. "We'll have to see if there's a way to make it up to him."

"He knows you two have things you need to do. He doesn't blame you. No one told him the truth though, because they didn't want him to worry. I'll have to have a heart to heart with him tonight sometime though. If I explain it, I'm sure he'll understand, and he'd never tell anyone."

Link smiled. He still felt extremely bad though, and asked Mirian, "If you could, would you tell Risek I'm sorry. I know it's not my fault, but I can't help feeling guilty."

"I will," Mirian nodded in agreement, knowing she would probably feel the same way irregardless. "Oh, and I forgot to tell you one other thing. Risek asked me to relay a message to you. He was asked by Arrik to spend as little time with you as possible because Arrik is afraid you might attack him again. But Risek also told me that even though he'd agreed, he wasn't going to follow the request completely."

The words made the Hylian Knight sigh out a breath. Risek knew as well as Link did that even if he did attack Risek, or vice versa, as long as the three of them were present, the Triforce wouldn't allow either of them to do something they didn't want to do. But they couldn't tell Arrik about it, not with the risks still at hand.

But he understood Risek's need to appease the Ambassador, so he gave a nod of his head in understanding.

That was when he noticed something. There was a golden chain around Mirian's neck with something hanging from it that he'd seen before, but just hadn't paid too much attention to until just now because she was absentmindedly running her finger in and out of the chain. Attached to it was a golden compass, and Link couldn't help but ask about it.

"What's that?"

Mirian looked down when he motioned to it, and then she slipped her fingers down to open it, showing him what it was. "A huge surprise, actually. When I spoke with Risek this morning, he handed me an envelope and then left his father's room. Inside was this and a short note. It said he'd almost forgotten that he'd won it in Hyrule's Market, but when he found it, he thought it would replace the one that Marcelle gave me which was lost with him because I loaned it to him so he could navigate the mountains better."

Zelda remembered the day that Risek won the compass, and also, that Risek had said the compass was for his little brother. Despite the memory, she simply smiled and told the chambermaid, "That's very thoughtful. Maybe he feels badly that he can't speak with you as much as he would like to and thought that might help."

Mirian lifted a shoulder, "It's possible. But whatever the reason, I'm happy he gave this to me. It does resemble the one my brother gave me too, except that his had the engraving of a sailboat on it instead of this type of design."

When she wasn't looking, Link exchanged a glance with Zelda that was somewhat knowing, and then looked over at Mirian again when she waved a hand.

"Well, I need to get back to my duties. I'll come by later to check on you. The Prince wants me to personally see to your needs because he said I'm the only one he really trusts."

With a nod, Link drew out the words, "Then we'll see you later," with a smile. He walked to the door so that he could open it for her, letting her carry the tray from the room while leaving the plates of food behind.

"I hope your day goes well," Link wished her as she left, and when she gave him an inconspicuous smile and then disappeared down the hallway, he noticed one of the guards posted outside of their room glowering at him in distrust.

With a sigh of breath, Link shut the door again and almost automatically, he heard it locking behind him. He couldn't help rolling his eyes. As he headed back into the room, he went to the plates and lifted the lids to find some sort of fish type meal kept warm beneath them that was steaming and also smelled just as good as the food the night before had been.

Putting the lid back down with a nod of his head, planning on eating the meal in just a few more minutes once he'd talked to Zelda, he turned around to find her shaking her head thoughtfully.

"What?," Link asked when he spied the motion.

"Risek said that compass was for Gabriel."

Link smirked, "I know. You know what I think it means, don't you?"

Zelda was trying not to smile, but she failed and nodded. "He's got feelings for her. If it were just sentimentality, then he would've told the truth. He probably knows it wouldn't be viable since he's royalty."

"That also explains something else," Link suggested.

"Like what?"

"Why he seemed so cold to us when he found out that we're going to be married. He was probably a little jealous."

Zelda could definitely see that now. But when she shook her head again and pricked Link's curiosity, she said, "I think Mirian has feelings for him as well. There was a blush on her face when you mentioned the compass to her. She also seemed fond of speaking about the Prince, in a way that a young girl would be toward an object of affection."

"Hmm," Link considered aloud. It was definitely possible, and Zelda would know how a lady might speak of someone in that manner considering she was a woman and most of her chambermaids were probably some of the most feminine women Link had ever met.

To further back the theory, Mirian and Risek had known each other for a long time, somewhat similarly to himself with Zelda. Something like that usually seemed to go in a romantic direction, at least, as far as Link's experience had taught him.

"I think you're right," he added after further deliberation. "Do you think we should tell him?"

"No, not now anyway. We should mind our business. But, I _do_ want to tell him that she _does_ need him. Her brother died, and she needs to be able to mourn properly. I think maybe he's pushed her away because he doesn't want his feelings to overwhelm him, so he's trying to strangle them off. But her well being is at stake. His too if he's actually in love with her and he's trying to keep it bottled up."

Link had taken a seat with Zelda so that they could eat their meals, and he offered to pour some of the beverage for her as she held her goblet up to accept while he agreed. "That's true. Maybe we should ask Mirian how she feels in the meantime just so we'll know for sure."

Zelda settled her goblet near her plate and grabbed a napkin, glancing over at him. Since they really didn't have anything better to do but sit and wait for bigger occurrences to arise, Zelda had no qualms in talking to Link about this.

"I should if you really want. She'd relate to me more easily being a woman."

"Then again she might be more inclined to hide it because you're a Princess."

"Then," Zelda started, lifting her eating utensils, "I'll just have to remind her of my common background," she finished with a little smile.

Link gave Zelda a grin, lifting his knife to cut through the meat which was as tender as it could get. "You know," he started thoughtfully while cutting it, "being on house arrest isn't so bad with this kind of cooking. If we really wanted to be fugitives, we should escape and abduct Mirian just so she can make the meals for us."

Zelda made a soft chuckle over the words, taking a bite and definitely agreeing. But Link's comment had put a much more serious thought in her mind. "It might come to that, Link."

"Come to what?"

"Escape. That won't be good for the record, but it could be a necessity."

Link sighed somewhat woefully, pushing his blonde hair back from his eyes. "I know. The saddest part to it is that with everything we've already been through, I know we'd be able to pull it off with ease. That's only going to make us look even more guilty in the people's eyes."

Link was right about that. But what had to be done if it came down to it was what had to be done. Zelda only wondered though just how long this arrest would continue to stand. She also wondered if Risek would know more about the binding stone. When Mirian came back later that evening, they'd more than likely have their answer.


	39. Hopeful

_Chapter 40 - Hopeful_

_Ganondorf used the Triforce of Power alone to reawaken many of our abilities, long forgotten at the hands of the previous royalty of Althor. But the mute is still on our powers, and the only key that could undo it was the Amulet we seek now. Ganondorf couldn't - or perhaps simply wouldn't - aide us in finding it._

_I believe the reason is that he wanted the white scale of Effilius for himself once he had the Triforce in his power. Thankfully, he failed at obtaining a fully assembled relic. We know he would could have overthrown us, and if he'd acquired the power he'd sought, he more than likely would have attempted to - and probably succeeded. For this reason alone, we are wary of what may have happened to the Triforce once the tyrant was overthrown. We need to move now. Otherwise another force could rise against us._

_Anamirian will leave the Palace today. She doesn't normally leave the protective walls of the royal home alone, but she has a habit of getting her breads from a special baker who lives at the edge of town. It will be easy to corner her for questioning when she does this. Once we have our answers, we'll make that move._

_This aside, it's not completely saddening that Risek wasn't executed. The blame and suspicions are still on the Hylians, and now they are under arrest. If they leave, they'll become fugitives regardless of their guilt, and they'll be hunted down and brought back in to be held in the dungeons and the focus will definitely not be on us. No doubt Hyrule will demand the Princess's extradition however, but we're not concerned with what Hyrule wants._

_We'll continue to make them look suspicious which will allow us to move with much more ease, and maybe, throughout our efforts, we'll convince Risek to join us as well. Soon all will come to pass._

"Hello Mirian! Beautiful day today, isn't it?"

Mirian smiled and waved as she walked along to the bakery she liked to purchase her breads from. The baker was an old friend anyway, and Mirian always had a nice time talking to him whenever she stopped by. People along the way who knew her gave their hello's, and she just smiled and waved back at them, agreeing that the day was in fact a lovely one without a cloud in the sky.

It was growing close to becoming evening, but still not quit there, sometime around four or five. Mirian, despite her smiles to those in passing, was thinking on more dreary thoughts as she went, those based around earlier in the Palace. She'd given the binding stone to Risek and told him what Zelda had told her. He was on his way to speak with a few members of nobility about issues completely unrelated to the stone she'd handed him, but thanked her for the information and would keep the stone as evidence for Link and Zelda.

Whatever really was happening, Mirian wished it would stop. Not only did Risek have enough to contend with given his father's illness, but she was afraid for Gabriel too. If Link could be made to attack Risek, then where did that leave his youngest sibling? Was he the next to be attacked?

For this reason alone, she really didn't want to be gone for very long. Gabriel was with the Ambassador when she'd left, and even though everything was in a state of suspicion, she didn't feel too bad with leaving him in Arrik's care, but she also didn't want to be naive and too trusting of anyone.

Once she reached the bakery, she told her good friend there that she was in a hurry today because of that very reason, but instead of giving him the truth, only said that she was running late in her errands and had to return hastily. He seemed to understand, telling her we've all had those days.

The Baker was kind enough to give her a loaf he'd gathered materials for over time to make specifically for her, and she thanked him very kindly and paid for her normal order before she left with her covered basket on her arm.

Thankfully, Mirian knew several shortcuts through the streets, and she'd used them to get to the Bakery more swiftly, and was now using them to make her way back. Turning between the buildings from the bakery which was on the outskirts of the town, she began to head to the adjacent street of the alleyway behind the buildings when she felt a bit wary somehow. Stopping, she looked back down the alleyway, but didn't see anyone.

Mirian let her golden eyes linger for a moment, and then took a breath to walk on again. Suddenly a crate tumbled just a bit and she let a loud gasp, looking up to spy a cat who'd just jumped onto the object from a window above it. Once the fright was over, Mirian let out a soft sigh of breath because she'd been so startled.

Rolling her eyes a slight bit, she began to walk again while muttering the words, "Silly cats," but it was then that she suddenly found a hand covering her mouth from behind just before she was pulled into a dark corner between the crates she was passing.

"Shush," she heard a man's voice as she came to struggle, "don't panic, Mirian, it's me, Aggie."

Mirian stopped trying to resist him when she heard that and turned around. Aggie released her, and when she looked at him, she realized he was wearing a cloak and hood to conceal his identity, his eyes a dull blue due to the shadow the hood cast as he looked down at her.

"Aggie?," she whispered softly, "What are you doing here? The guards could catch you."

Aggie let a sigh as if he were relieved somehow, "I'm glad you believe in my innocence. Mirian, don't worry about that. I don't have much time. Risek is back, isn't he?"

With a nod, Mirian told him, "Yes, he returned yesterday. You must have heard. How long have you been in Palace Town?"

"Don't worry about that," Aggie replied, apparently wary for listening out for sounds foreign to where they were standing before continuing on with his words. "I came back so that I could hopefully catch you buying your bread here. I need to give you something."

Mirian's brows narrowed a bit and she looked down when he reached into his pocket. From it, he tugged a roll of paper sealed with wax. "Give this to Risek, and don't open it yourself. I want him to see that it hasn't been tampered with since I wrote it and closed it myself."

Mirian lifted her hand when he held it out to her and she gave a nod of her head. "I won't," she informed him. "But Aggie, what is this all about? What happened in Newbern?"

"I wish I could tell you, but if I do, I'll put you in danger. Just take this back to the Palace and make sure it arrives in Risek's hands."

Mirian stared at the man quietly, her lips parting as if she wanted to say more, but she didn't know _what_ to say. Aggie didn't let her figure it out either. Shaking his head, he took her shoulder and turned her with the words, "Go, and be quick. Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself."

"Alright," she replied with a sigh, and she turned her hand to put the letter inside of the sleeve of her pale grey maid's dress, which was a perfect place since it wouldn't fall out because of the tight cuffs around her wrists which she buttoned back up once she was done.

As she began to head away from the crates, making sure no one had been looking first, she started walking swiftly toward the other end of the alleyway in order to get back to the Palace as quickly as she possibly could.

Just before she made it to the street, she heard a soft thump behind her and she looked back, her eyes suddenly going wide.

Risek was heading toward the chambers that Link and Zelda were being held in currently. Arrik was preoccupied with Gabriel for the moment, so he had a chance to give his Hylian friends a visit now. Once he'd arrived, he had the guard open the door and he stepped inside.

Link glanced up from a book he'd been reading, closing it and setting it down onto the table between the chairs that sat in the center of the room. Zelda was settled across from him, listening to Link as he read aloud, and she also glanced over at Risek as the Prince came to a stop before them both.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to come," Risek told them both, letting them stand up while he spoke. "Mirian gave me the stone you found, so at least now we know how they did this."

Link nodded, asking him in response, "Do you know of anyone skilled enough to do something like that?"

"I'm not sure if they would be skilled enough to use this type of stone or not. But there are two people it could possibly be that I can think of right away."

"Who is that?" Zelda asked.

Explaining it, Risek waved a hand, saying, "The first is the man who taught me what I know, his name is Shalic. But he's been away from the Palace for quite some time, living in Newbern. I don't know if he was one of the ones supposedly amongst the traitors though. But it seems hard to believe that he is because he's so old now and somewhat frail."

Nodding, keeping the name in mind, Link asked, "And the other?"

"Arrik, actually," Risek told him in response. "He and Shalic had been friends for a long time, and I know that Shalic taught Arrik a few tricks of the arcane as well. But as I'd said, I'm not entirely certain either knows how to use a binding stone. Arrik will be leaving shortly as well, some issues have arisen in Meley that he wants to see to. Rumors are spreading that a revolt is rising and he wants to quell them."

Risek would have to catch the Ambassador and Arch Duke before he left. Zelda seemed to think it all over, and without considering the rumors of revolt for the moment while turning her gaze up to Risek, she added, "Not to mention it could be someone we don't know of altogether. So before we say it's either of them, do you have any news about our situation?"

"Yes," Risek replied, "it's why I came here. I spoke with Lukas, and he thinks that a trial is very likely. The reason is that the people won't understand uses of magics. They're not as prevalent in Althor as they seem to be in Hyrule, so an attack on the Crown Prince being excused by reason of one not being able to control themselves would fall on somewhat deaf ears. Althorians wouldn't completely understand it."

Link didn't look like he liked the sound of that. It only ate at him even more, and he shook his head. He just felt guilty no matter how you sliced it. "I'm sorry, Risek. I tried to stop myself."

"No, you've nothing to apologize for. I'm just glad that whatever stopped it from happening did so. If I'm right though, the Triforce did it. Is that correct?"

Zelda remembered that Risek hadn't been privy to that knowledge yet, so she explained it to him. "Yes, it was the Triforce. An assembled relic grants what the user wants most. In that moment, with the three of us together, wanting more than anything for what was happening to stop, the Triforce granted us that, and then broke the power of the magic that was controlling Link."

It made sense. Risek slowly nodded his head, then asked, "Why doesn't it just reveal the White Knights to us then?"

"It's not what all three of us want _most_," Zelda said patiently. "We all have conflicting feelings over this matter. I think in your case, what you want most is for someone to pay for your friend's death. You know the Knights are behind it, but wanting them to pay overrides the want to know who they are, as long as justice is served. I, on the other hand, also want justice to be served, but what I want the most is for affairs to be settled and our kingdoms to unite in peace."

That made completely sound sense. Risek _did_ want them to pay. He'd give up knowing _who_ they were if it meant justice coming down upon them. Zelda, on the other hand, wouldn't have wanted that the most per say, no matter if she did want it or not. With understanding, he nodded his head.

"I see. Then we'll keep looking on our own." After mentioning that, he sighed out his breath and added, "In the meantime, I have to find a way to keep them from taking you two to trial. Not only could one of those Knights be present for it and keep it from being a fair one, but also, it won't look good for diplomacy. In further addition, it won't help us to find the people who are _really_ behind this."

In turn, Link and Zelda both began nodding their heads in understanding. Link then told Risek, "Mother said that if a trial becomes concrete, we should escape, even if it looks bad for us to do so."

Risek seemed a little confused. "Myriad? How does she know of this?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Link reached into his pouch and tugged out a small Myriad Stone, showing it to Risek. "When Zelda and I were trying to take Hyrule back, my mother was sealed inside of the Sacred Realm. We used these stones to communicate with her telepathically. She slipped this into my pocket just before we left for Althor."

Despite his bitter mood, Risek couldn't help a small smile. Myriad did seem to have her wiles after all. "I see. How does it work?"

"Just touch it. But, you're not Hylian, so I don't know if it would work for you or not. Althorians aren't telepathic after all."

Giving a nod of his head, letting Link put the smooth white stone back up, Risek took in a deep breath and told them both, "Then keep in touch with her. The council could be needed. I should probably go now as well. I don't want to cause anymore suspicion to be raised."

"That's fine. Let us know what happens in the meantime," Zelda told him. "We're going to stay right here until we're sure that an escape is necessary."

Risek nodded in understanding, then turned to go to the door to leave again. On the way there, he heard Zelda adding, "And Risek. Go talk to Anamirian about Marcelle sometime. She really does need the comfort."

Risek stopped, slowly looking back. Curiously, he couldn't help himself from asking, "Did she say something to you?"

Link took a step forward and when he did, Risek glanced over at him. "She didn't say it directly, but it's not hard to see. She told us that she feels like she might explode sometimes from the grief. She doesn't have anyone, and it's hurting her."

Risek wanted to reply, but he couldn't find the words at first. He knew Marcelle was Mirian's only family, but he hadn't thought she'd been overwrought with any kind of loneliness. Now, considering it, it made perfect sense. Gabriel probably kept her occupied during the daytime, along with her chores and perhaps the task of caring for his father while he'd been away. But what about at night before bed?

Risek really didn't know why he hadn't thoroughly considered it before. Maybe too much on his mind had blotted it out, but now that he had, he felt foolish - and helpless. "I don't know how much comfort I could offer her," he said on a flat tone.

"You care about her," Link replied as if it were plain to see. "I'm not trying to call you out on a lie, Risek, but you gave that compass to her, and not to Gabriel like you'd told us you were going to. So I think you'd be able to comfort her just fine."

"It's not that simple, Link," Risek said, his tone a bit annoyed.

Shaking his head, Link asked, "Why, because you're a Prince and she's a maid? Then how about this. You've known each other all your life and you're good friends. It doesn't get anymore simple than that. You need to comfort your friend."

Risek looked away, and even though his expression was stoic as usual, Zelda and Link could both tell that he wanted to listen to them. They both knew how he felt, so they hoped he would. It wasn't easy just wondering on a future as they had done before, so they could only imagine the level of frustration Risek felt, and Mirian as well if she returned any kind of feelings to the Prince.

In an attempt to help him a little more, Zelda added to Link's words, "Risek, she cares about you as well. She didn't admit as much, but take it from a woman who's been there, I could see that she bears a bit of affection toward you."

Risek narrowed his brows and looked over at Zelda, unable to help it, and she nodded certainly. Then she went on, "I realize the difficulties, and we're not trying to tell you that you should forget your duties. But if you talk to her and offer a bit of comfort, you might find the peace of mind it takes to be able to figure out other problems present now. I could take a huge load of stress off of your mind."

She was probably right about that, Risek figured. He thought her words over for several moments, making the Hylians think he probably wasn't going to give them a response. But finally, he said what they'd both been guessing at.

"You're right. I've grown very..._fond..._of Anamirian, ever since I returned from the Siren. Mirian is...important to me, but that's just it, duty and station stand in the way. I fear that if I go to her now of all times, something vulnerable will show in me, and I'll let my guard down."

Link smiled when those words were said, and Risek gave him a confused, curious look when the Hylian started shaking his head. "Believe me, Risek, I thought that way once too. When I learned that Mira was actually Zelda, and I had feelings for her, I thought to devote myself to nothing but the duty of protecting her and serving her kingdom. I wasn't worthy of her. But when I finally admitted my feelings to her, my determination grew by leaps and bounds. There's nothing I wouldn't do for Zelda. I'd lay my life down for her, and do whatever it took to make sure she has peace in her life. It all depends on how strongly you feel and how much it means to you."

Risek knew he could answer that right away. But he'd never said out loud, and never even admitted it to himself. Somehow though, he found himself speaking it.

"I...love her." There was nothing but certainty in his voice despite the way he'd trailed. He almost sounded as if he were surprised somehow, and in several ways, he was, especially over the ease with which he'd admitted the words. So he went on by saying, "She means very much to me."

Hearing this, Link gave a certain nod of his head to the Prince and an encouraging smile. "Then at least go talk to her about your friend and her brother. In the very least, feelings or not, you owe her _and_ yourself that much."

"Link's right," Zelda agreed. "You have a duty to your kingdom, but also to yourself, and considering the turmoil your kingdom is in, I think serving the duty to yourself in order to stay true and make it right would be the proper way to handle this."

Risek considered those words, and he slowly nodded after a moment. Finally, he said, "I'll take the time out to see her this evening and ask how she's doing. Hopefully, I won't...," he trailed, then slightly rolled his eyes, "make it awkward."

Link couldn't help a grin. "Yeah," he drew out slowly as if in thought, "I've been in those situations."

Zelda's brows narrowed and she gave Link a look with pursed lips. Link smiled sheepishly and tugged on his collar, and in an attempt to get the attention off of him, he looked at Risek and asked, "By the way, she told us a story that Marcelle used to related of when she was a baby and you had to care for her for a short time. Did that really happen?"

Risek gave Link a distasteful look, and then grumbled before he turned to walk away while muttering, "_Just_ like Marcelle."

"Link, apologize."

"What?," Link asked Zelda, shrugging his shoulders innocently, "I was curious."

Risek sighed out his breath and left their chambers without answer to the question. Once he was gone, Link smiled, asking Zelda, "How do you think he'll do?"

"With Mirian?"

When Link nodded, Zelda smiled and stepped over to him, "I think they'll both do fine. We are, aren't we?"

Link smiled, putting his arms around her with a confident nod of his head, leaning down to give her a sweet, gentle kiss on the lips.

Meanwhile, Risek had headed on, thinking about all the Hylians had told him. Though he wasn't sure how to go about this whole situation, he felt that trying wouldn't be wasted, and briefly, he also considered Link and Zelda. They were on house arrest in a foreign Kingdom, but they hadn't lost any of their sensibilities or outlooks. It seemed to him that whatever they'd been through previously had forged a strong, unbreakable bond between the two of them. They weren't upset or angry at all, could still find humor when it would have seemed none was there to be found.

It made Risek hopeful. Hopeful for both the future of his kingdom, and for his future with a woman he knew he loved even though he wasn't supposed to. For those few moments, he honestly somehow felt like everything was going to be fine, and it was nice to have the reprieve from the gloomy, dreary outlook his homecoming had greeted him with.


	40. Memory

_Chapter 41 - Memory_

Mirian shut the door to her room and leaned back against it, breathing heavily. She'd run all the way back to the Palace and had used several servant's doors to make the trip shorter, glad that no one really saw her. Now that she was safe and sound in her room, she thought about what she'd seen in the alleyway.

The size of that Knight, his armor, he was like something from an old legend she'd read about, intimidating and huge.

He'd been after her.

It sent a chill down her spine to know that, and while she considered it, she also considered that she definitely wasn't leaving the Palace again without someone to go with her. Not with someone like that wanting her for who knew whatever reason.

She missed her brother in that moment terribly. If Marcelle had been there, he would have protected her easily, known exactly what to do. But Aggie helped, risked himself for her, told her to run while he engaged the Knight, and now she had no idea what his fate could have been. Mirian had carelessly dropped the basket of bread she'd just purchased, including the gift from the Baker, and fled the scene.

She felt like a coward, and she felt helpless. For all she knew, Aggie could have been dead now.

Tears began to stream down Mirian's cheeks. She couldn't help herself. Stepping over to the chairs settled in the room around some of her plants, she sat down and buried her face in her hands, feeling lonely again, and missing her brother. For several moments, she sobbed sadly, until she could finally draw in a proper breath and wipe her eyes of the tears, lifting her head.

Across from her, settled as an ornament on a long table against the wall near the door, was a chest that belonged to her father, and was passed on to Marcelle. She'd never opened it, but kept it on display because it reminded her of her family, and made her almost feel as if they were still about. Maybe though, now was the time to accept fate, and finally open the chest to see what was inside.

But in considering them, seeing her father's and her brother's smiling faces in her mind, she let another few sobs, and that's when she heard a knock at her door.

Gasping, she looked up to see that it was Risek of all people. He'd already opened the door and knocked to alert her to his presence. Mirian stood up quickly as soon as she saw him and turned around, hiding her tear stricken face while trying to clean the mess she'd made of it in crying like she had been.

"My...my lord, I'm terribly sorry, I didn't hear you knocking."

"I didn't until I came in," Risek admitted, stepping inside and shutting the door behind him. "I heard you crying and I wanted to know if you were alright."

He didn't want to say that he'd reacted without thinking, but he actually had. When he'd heard her sobbing, he'd automatically opened the door to find out what was wrong. But instead of telling her that, he took in a breath to ask even though it was obvious, "Are you?"

Mirian wasn't sure how to answer that. Feeling a little more confident that she at least didn't have water trails on her face, she looked back over at him and shook her head slowly. "No, I'm not. Not at all."

She seemed close to tears again, but she was bravely holding them in. Risek continued restraining himself for the moment until he'd found out what was wrong exactly. His first instinct was to ask her if he should leave her alone, but he knew she'd say yes, and he wasn't leaving. Not when she was so apparently upset.

So instead, he shut the door and headed toward her, asking, "Is it Marcelle?"

Mirian knew she needed to tell Risek about the Knight she saw, but she also knew that if she admitted how she'd fled and left Aggie to his fate, she'd start crying all over again. So she didn't mention it just yet, and only told him for now, "Partly. Mostly, I'm not sure exactly."

Something had happened. Realizing this, and without reserve, Risek took her arm. "Tell me what's wrong, Mirian. You don't have to hide anything from me."

She couldn't look at him, so flustered by everything that she didn't know where to start. As if her mind was in control of her emotions though, she spit out, "I just miss him so much, and I couldn't stop it."

Risek gritted his teeth, guilt tearing through his chest, and he took in a breath to try to contain himself. He didn't want her to blame herself, not at all, saying, "I know, Mirian, but if anyone is to blame, I am for sending him out."

Mirian started shaking her head. "No, no, that's...not it. It wasn't...our fault," she hiccuped, "I mean that I couldn't have helped him, even if I'd been there with him and wanted to."

He couldn't stand this. Seeing her so upset ate at him just as much as the guilt he felt did, and Risek was unsure at the moment what to do exactly. How could he soothe her pain? His mind went over what Link and Zelda had suggested to him, and when he recalled Link's comment that letting go of his reservations would strengthen him, to look at her like the friend he'd always had and known, he decided to try, to stop being the Prince and start being her friend.

His brows narrowed when he thought of it like that, a little of the sorrow he felt showing through, and suddenly he somehow didn't feel the need to try to stop himself anymore. Clenching his hand and letting it relax, he lifted his arms and put them around her slowly, drawing her into a tight hug.

Mirian wasn't sure what to think though she didn't particularly fight it. This was probably hard for Risek, he wasn't very prone to showing emotion or comfort, but he was trying. She was torn over whether or not she should accept it, and take his offer to lean on him, but she did it anyway. Reaching up, she rested her hands against him and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment while trying to let it all out. After all, she really needed to.

It felt good, better than she wanted it to, but Mirian didn't push him away. It felt right, but wrong to be seeking him for comfort like this as well, but a selfish streak rose up in her that she didn't have the energy to fight down just then.

She wanted to thank Risek, but she found herself too shy to say anything to him. She loved him after all, and was afraid the sound of her voice might betray that emotion in her.

Risek let his own eyes drift shut. He'd had a few affairs in his life, though not as many as Marcelle who'd been a true lady's man, but Risek had known women in the past. At current, he was extremely surprised despite this being just a simple hug. Was this what Link meant?

Holding Mirian, somehow, Risek felt his resolve strengthen. Knowing she really did need him made him want to fortify himself, but even more so, he hadn't know that just holding her when he loved her so much would feel so extremely good. It was like he could finally breathe somehow, could finally open his eyes and see whatever he needed to if he'd wanted.

It just felt right. He never wanted that moment to end.

Risek noticed she was moving a bit to wipe her eyes, and he relaxed his hold to let her, ready to ask if she was feeling any better now. But it was when she did this that she felt something shift in her sleeve, and she suddenly remembered the letter she was still carrying from Aggie to give to Risek.

Risek was a little confused when she suddenly stood up straight and exclaimed, "Oh! I...," she sniffled and wiped her eyes again while he let his grip loosen to let her step back before he could ask her anything. Risek watched her lifting her arm up and loosening the cuff, tugging a rolled up piece of paper from where it'd been concealed in her sleeve. "I forgot about this letter."

"Letter?"

"Yes. I don't know what it says, but it's for you," she explained, handing it over to him. "Risek, I haven't told you the whole reason why I've been crying. You know I like to go to the bakery once a week to get bread, don't you?"

He nodded, taking the letter from her while he listened, neglecting to open it for the moment until he knew more.

"Well I," she took in a shaky breath from her crying spell, then cleared her throat, "I know who killed Marcelle."

Those weren't exactly words he'd been expecting to hear. But he wasn't going to stop her regardless, and he took her arm and guided her to sit down, seeing that this could be a long conversation. He also sat next to her, and once they were settled, she gathered her breath again and continued.

"You said those White Knights were from the ancient kingdom, the Endigan Mountains where Marcelle disappeared, didn't you?"

Everyone knew the tales of Alnaric and where it had existed. Risek gave Mirian a single nod when she asked, wondering if she was that perceptive. Anamirian wasn't lacking in intelligence after all, and he was right when she continued, "They killed him. That's where he was sent. And...and now they're after me too."

Risek hadn't been surprised by the first part of that, after all, he'd pieced together the same information in the Lost Woods when he'd been telling Link what had happened to his lifelong friend. But the second part had him almost glaring, "_What_ do you mean, they're after _you_ now?"

Mirian hadn't expected to see so much anger in him over the notion, and honestly, to her, it was a good bit intimidating. When he saw how his protectiveness seemed to unsettle her, probably because she was so unused to seeing any vivid responses in him, he took a breath and added the words more gently, "Tell me why you think that."

"I don't think it," she shook her head, "I know it. I saw one, he tried to corner me on the way back from the bakery in an alleyway."

Those words did more that just worry Risek over Mirian's well being, but also confirmed for him the truth completely - the White Knights were here in Althor now. It wasn't just someone affiliating with them potentially, but the Knights themselves. Whether they'd left some of their numbers back in Hyrule was hard to know, but it also wasn't the most important issue, especially since what they sought was no longer in that Kingdom currently.

Mirian's words continued to enlighten him as well while she went on. "I was taking shortcuts to get back here because I didn't want to leave Gabriel alone for too long when I was grabbed. It startled me, but it was only Aggie."

"Aggie? In town?"

"Yes," she nodded. "He gave me that letter to give to you, but he wouldn't say more because he didn't want to put me in danger. He then told me to hurry to the Palace because he didn't have much time, didn't want to get caught I'm supposing. He also asked me not to open it so that you could see it hadn't been tampered with since he'd written and sealed it shut."

Once she'd said that, took in a deep breath and wrung her skirts in her hands as she usually did when she was nervous. "I began to go, but I heard something behind me when I was close to the end of the alleyway, and I turned around to see a huge man in," she shook her head, trying to think of the word, "white armor that looked almost divine in some way, like the Goddesses themselves might've crafted it.

"He was moving toward me, and he said my name, then told me that he didn't want to harm me, and if I went with him freely, things would be much easier on me. He said he needed information, and wanted to warn me not to run, because Marcelle ran, and now he was gone. But...Aggie stopped him and told me to get away."

Risek looked away for just a moment while he considered this. Everything else about Aggie aside, what in the world could the Knights have wanted with Anamirian? Information? Was the reason they killed Marcelle because they wanted to know something and he wouldn't tell them?

Before he could get too far in his thinking, he heard Mirian sniffling, and he glanced back over as she added, "I dropped my goods and ran, left Aggie behind like a coward. I know I couldn't have helped him, but...he could be dead now for all I know."

Risek inhaled deeply, putting a hand on her arm and when Mirian looked over at him, his green eyes met her gaze while he said, "You did the right thing, Mirian. If Aggie took the risk of coming back here to deliver a letter to me, then he would know enough to get in a more public place before this Knight could do anything to hinder him, and I'm sure he could stand his own ground against one of them for as long as it took to do so."

Risek actually wasn't entirely certain of that, but if it made Mirian feel better, then he would not only say it, but also say it like he meant it, which he did so. Mirian didn't need to blame herself for any of this, nor feel badly that she did exactly as she should have by running from the danger those Knights presented. Risek didn't want to think of the alternative - losing her along with her brother. That was simply a thought he couldn't bear.

Risek still held the letter in his hand, deciding he would read it once he left Mirian's chambers since Aggie wanted to protect her in some means, and for the moment, he focused on her. After all, he'd come by to do just as he'd suggested to Link and Zelda he would do. The Hylians had figured out his feelings for the chambermaid, and he wanted to be sure Mirian was alright.

Now he could see it was definitely a good thing he did.

"I hope you're right," Mirian said, sighing in and out a breath slowly, trying to keep herself calm. "I'm not exactly sure what they wanted to know from me, but I'm definitely not leaving alone again, and I'm not trusting anyone besides you, or Link and Zelda. And Gabriel."

"Good," Risek told her with a nod. "You're right, don't leave alone. In fact, I want you to assign your duties to someone else temporarily, and focus primarily on Link and Zelda. Is there anyone you can get to take your place for a while?"

Mirian nodded slowly, "A few people I can think of. But do you think someone will get suspicious if I'm not doing my duties?"

"No," Risek shook his head. "You never mourned your brother's loss properly. If I remember, you took to work even more, doubled your efforts in order to distract yourself from the loss. But you need to mourn properly. Take this as the suggestion of a friend, but do it as a royal command."

Mirian almost felt like smiling over the way he'd said that, but she nodded and told him, "Alright, I'll go to the kitchens tonight and let them know I'm taking a break temporarily."

"Good." He nodded, trailing off for a moment before casting his green eyes downward and adding, "I realize that I haven't been a very good friend to you. I haven't asked you much of anything since Marcelle went missing." Slowly, he looked back over at her, "I'm sorry, Mirian. I should have done much more for you, if only because your brother would have wanted it. I made a promise to watch over you if something happened to him, and I haven't kept that promise."

Mirian looked genuinely surprised. She had no idea Marcelle made Risek promise him that, asking, "He did?"

"Yes," Risek nodded. "He was concerned something could happen, and you would be left all alone. So I promised him I would look after you, or at least be there for you, if something did happen. I'm sorry I haven't been."

Mirian felt touched by his words, but she had to wonder if it was affection she felt for him making it seem that way or just knowing her brother had cared enough about her to ask someone something such as that. But the love she had for the Prince that she'd always tried to deny did grow a bit when he said the words with the care he just had, and she felt as if she might've been right back at square one in trying to temper herself against them.

So in an attempt to keep herself from thinking about it, she shook her head at Risek and said, "You don't need to apologize. Your father's been ill, and you've been busy trying to set things right. I can't expect you to come check on me every five minutes, my Prince."

There was that damned title again. Inhaling, Risek finally told her, "Risek."

"Hmm?"

"Mirian, we're friends. Especially when we're alone, you don't have to use titles with me. Call me Risek. You used to do it all of the time when we were growing up."

Mirian bit her bottom lip, glancing away from him and shaking her head, "I just thought it was polite."

"I'm not offended," he informed her, "but I don't want you placing me on a pedestal so high up that you can no longer see me. We're friends, and we were friends before we were royalty and servant. I'd be grateful if you'd call me Risek at least when we're alone."

Mirian didn't want to because of the implications it could have had, but she nodded and told him, "I'll try to remember, but I _do_ have a bad habit of it."

She glanced over briefly to see what he thought, and after a moment, a slow smile began to form on his lips. _Not that smile_, she thought, steeling herself against it. There was a reason the chambermaids sometimes snuck around behind his back and always tried to spy him making that smile. One, it wasn't something everyone could claim to have seen, and two, it was handsome.

"Good enough," he told her, then nodded before he finally asked, "are you sure you're alright?"

"I," Mirian drew out, breathing in deeply. When she thought about it, for the first time in a long while somehow, she really did feel as if she'd be okay. Slowly, she began to draw out a bit thoughtfully, "I think I am. Strangely enough in a way. Maybe I really did just need to talk."

Glancing over, she saw him nod his head as if he were appeased to hear that. A slow smile formed on her own lips finally, "You know, I remember Marcelle picking on me for always being so formal with you anyway."

Risek let out a soft snort of amusement, "I remember that. He said you sounded ridiculous." Risek had glanced into nothingness when he'd had the memory, both of them becoming quiet for that particular moment, until finally he realized he did need to go read the letter, regardless of how good it felt to sit here and talk to Mirian.

So, in a final attempt to make sure she understood this wasn't just a one time deal, he told her, "In the future, I'll pay you visits more frequently. For now, maybe you should go ahead and give those duties away. I need to read this letter."

With a nod of agreement, Mirian stood up. "I'm going to wash up first. I don't want anyone to know I've been crying. It's embarrassing enough as it is to cry that way in front of you."

"Why? You think I look down on it?"

"Well, no, but," she drew out, having already stood, and waved a hand, "you _are_ strong, and I don't want to seem like some silly emotional girl. I didn't think that would settle well."

Risek stood also, telling her with a shake of his head, "You don't, and while it doesn't settle well, I'd rather you cry and let it out than keep it bottled up." He knew from personal experience that bottling something up so big would end up tearing away at you inside. Link had been right about strengthening you by being honest with the way you felt. He was surprised by how much more determined he felt now that he'd had this talk with Mirian than he had before he'd come here.

When she smiled at him, he almost forgot to breath. That was his reward for showing her that comfort, and in realizing it, he was already looking forward to coming back to see her again.

"Thank you," she paused briefly, then added, "Risek," before she turned to go wash up a bit and give her duties to someone else temporarily.

He couldn't stop staring at her as she walked away and into the next room. Had he ever thought he'd strangle off the way he felt for her? He had the urge to follow her and tell her everything right now, but he focused his attention on the letter he still held in his hand and what it could possibly say to him, deciding that he should probably go ahead and do so before he went too far too soon with Mirian. Standing, he left so that he could do so.

Mirian cleaned herself up, considering everything that had happened, and despite how scared she'd been, and even still was knowing that she was being looked for by those White Knights probably, she somehow felt much more at ease than she had since her brother had disappeared, and she couldn't explain it.

She didn't want to say it was because Risek had come to visit her, and had shown her so much kindness, but she knew that was exactly the reason why. She just wished it could develop into more than that.

Mirian decided to take it for what it was, and that was more than she'd thought would happen. She hadn't felt completely happy in a while now anyway, so she deserved at least that much. While she considered it, she stopped and looked at the table next to the wall once more on her way out of the room in order to heard to the kitchen.

The chest that belonged to her father and then her brother was still settled there, red patterns painted across black marble with a golden edging. Finally, she felt strong enough, and she reached out to open it.

The lock wasn't very complicated, and Mirian unlatched it, pushing the lid up. Her eyes became transfixed on what she found inside of the chest, and she reached down for it, drawing her fingers across it with quiet intrigue.

It was gorgeous. A golden chain attached to some kind of vibrant red stone set inside of an ornate gold medallion making an amulet she thought might've been fitting of a Queen or a Princess to wear.

Why her father had it, she didn't know. Perhaps it had simply been a long time heirloom, but there was no real telling honestly. Not now that he was gone. Mirian shut the lid on the amulet and latched it again, a little smile quirking her lips. Even though she hadn't wanted to open the chest at all because she felt it would just solidify her brother's death, she was glad she had now. Seeing something that had belonged to her family made her feel proud in a way she couldn't really explain, and took away some of the loneliness to replace with the memory that she _did_ have a family before.

For now, she resolved to have her duties passed on so she could continue to honor their memory for a little while longer.


	41. Deceit

_Chapter 42 - Deceit_

"Still have no idea where the amulet is, do you?"

The question came out knowingly while a burst of light from within a small cauldron flared up, lighting the room briefly, a secret chamber that only a handful of people were aware of the existence of. The stone walls were lined with cabinets where vials and jars containing insects were settled, candles flickering about here and there which kept a dim lighting in the area after the bright flash had faded.

The door had just slid open right before the question was asked, and the reply was to say, "Before you start harping with your complaints, you know my orders came from higher up, so don't take that condescending tone with me. It wasn't a total loss after all, we found Aggie."

"And then _lost_ him as well. I already know, Gerild." Turning to face him, Charlain waved a hand, her look nonsensical, "Besides, what good will Aggie do? He's just a scapegoat."

Gerild rolled his eyes, letting a soft sigh. "I came to ask you if you'd been hazing again. Not speak with you over our reasoning as if you have a say in what we do. So, have you?"

"No, Gerild," Charlain told him somewhat tartly, "because the power you've allowed me to utilize has a _mute_ on it!" Giving him a glare, she finished by saying, "So it doesn't do me much good. I've already told you, the amulet is in the Palace. That's the most information I could attain. _You're_ the ones who sent in _one_ knight to corner the maid."

"She's a simple maid. There was no way to know Aggie would be even remotely close to her, or that she'd be able to slip away so quickly. Yes, they'll have to remember the next time that she knows several shortcuts, but in the meantime, we'll just have to try again. It doesn't matter if she knows she's a target now. She can't run forever, and after all, she _is_ running _to_ us."

Charlain let a soft sigh and turned to face the cauldron again. Taking some clothes to protect her hands from the heat so that she could lift it, she did so and turned, settling it into the center of a table that was settled in the middle of the circular room. Once done, she pulled out a vial and a measuring spoon and shook her head at Gerild in the meantime.

"You know, I wanted to wait to tell this to someone who actually _matters_, Gerild, but since most of you have been a little occupied, I'll give you the information to pass on if you would. I've been hazing for something besides the amulet ever since Risek was attacked."

Gerild didn't look completely interested, figuring this was probably just another one of Charlain's goose chases, but he humored her for the moment. "Oh, and what would that be? A dress to wear to your brother's funeral incase his life is deemed expendable?"

"Ouch, and here I was thinking you were a bit more mature than that," Charlain retorted with her blue eyes rolling skyward. "No, what I was hazing for is of much greater value and of a far larger power. When Risek wasn't even hurt, I became curious."

Gerild had to admit that he'd gotten curious over that instance as well, and when she mentioned it to him his disinterest changed a bit. He showed it by stepping forward as she filled the vial with a purplish liquid, asking what he'd suspected to begin with, "The Triforce."

Charlain's lips curled into a little smile and she nodded, eyes fixed on the vial while she measured the contents. "I see you've had the same thought."

"You _hazed_ for the Triforce?"

Hazing was a witch's way of locating an item when you had no real idea where it could have been. It involved asking spirits and even deities for information on where the item could have been, and one of the reasons why they were having trouble finding the amulet they sought to unlock the mute on their powers was because they believed it was hidden inside of something enchanted, meant to protect it.

The Triforce was dangerous to haze for though because of how powerful an item it was, and because of its significance. Asking spirits and other such supernatural things about it made you a target of their world in several instances unless you had the power to protect yourself. Charlain tried only once to locate the ancient relic, and became ridden with pain when she did, was told to no longer seek it. But apparently, her curiosity had been pricked enough that she saw fit to try again on her own.

"I did," she nodded, "and it's here, in Althor. I didn't ask for a specific item this time, but just consulted the spirit world for the most recent happenings and more intuition into them. I'd suspected the Triforce, and the only power that could have undone that of a Dragon's Scale is that relic. Though the spirit world didn't confirm the actual name of the relic, it confirmed my beliefs completely. The Triforce is here, in Althor, somehow."

Gerild stared at Charlain as she headed over to him, a coy smile on her face, holding out the vial she'd just sealed shut in his direction. "Here, just take the vial and go. Remember, it's a full vial from now on, not half of one."

Gerild continued to watch her, but finally took the vial she filled for him of the liquid, and stuffed it into a pouch hanging from his belt. Once he was done, he decided to simply pass along what she'd said instead of questioning her himself, and he tilted his head at her with an entirely different thought in mind. "Let me ask you a more personal question, Charlain. Doesn't it bother you to know that you're poisoning your own father?"

"I won't speak with you about that," Charlain replied, her tone icy. "If you want to know so badly, then perhaps you should learn to haze yourself. Until then, I had no idea this was about sharing our secrets and telling stories."

"Hmph," Gerild drew out as if he wasn't disappointed at all that she didn't give him a straight answer. Turning, he went to leave the chamber, and once he was gone, Charlain let a sigh of breath. Gerild was really beginning to become a bother, but she had to put up with him. After all, he was just one of a good many, and he _wasn't_ in command.

Turning, she walked to the chamber's exit herself and made her way out into a corridor that split into two different directions at the end. One led to the hallway close to her bedchambers, and she took that route, carefully exiting behind a drape and a statue in the Palace corridor when she was sure no one had saw her before stepping down the hallway.

As she did, Risek rounded the corner coming from the direction of her room, and Charlain's brows narrowed, but not because he was there. The look on his face was completely angry. Charlain had to stop in her tracks because she honestly couldn't recall ever seeing her brother that furious.

He'd come to a stop as well. Once he did, an awkward silence prevailed between them, unnerving and frustrating. Charlain let a sigh of breath to cover it, finally asking, "What? If you're angry about something concerning me, then spit it out."

Risek remained silent. That really _did_ unnerve Charlain. Her brother had been furiously yelling at her before, but he'd never been so angry that he didn't say a word. Instead, he just walked on past her, and disappeared around the corner. Charlain looked behind him when he did so, and she took in a breath.

She had a bad feeling about that, so she turned and went to her room quickly. Inside of the elaborately furnished and decorated chamber, she went to her dresser and began to open the drawers, fearing that Risek might have gone through her things and found something suspicious, not that she'd left anything out in the open for someone to find.

When she did, she learned that _nothing_ was out of place, and then supposed that her brother's mood had nothing to do with her. That was somewhat of a relief.

But she did have to wonder _what_ he was so angry about.

Risek wasn't angry - he was furious. Seeing Charlain just then hadn't helped his ire to absolve itself either. He wanted to throttle her, or at the very least store her away in the dungeon for the rest of her life.

She was one of the traitors.

Aggie's letter had given Risek more insight than he'd thought it would. The night Aggie became a fugitive was one after the day when the Captain had stumbled over something particularly important.

Charlain had snuck off into a hidden doorway, and as Aggie wrote in his letter, he'd already become suspicious of her and managed to catch sight of her doing so without her knowledge. So he followed her to find what he described as a witch's chamber filled with vials and jars and cauldrons - apparently a past time that the Princess of Althor liked to dabble in which no one knew of. It was there that he'd heard the words, "Give my father the entire dose this time, not just half a vial. He'll fall into a deep sleep then."

Aggie's letter went on to say, _I was so shocked that I couldn't move for what felt like an hour. Only a few moments had passed however when I saw a shadow coming in my direction, and I had to move or be caught eavesdropping. I managed to get out of the corridor without being spotted, or at least, I thought I had. Later I learned I hadn't been so fortunate._

_Anxiously, I awaited your return so that I could inform you of the treachery against your father. In the meantime I sought to know if anyone else was in danger, so I found Anamirian when she was alone and asked to have her meet me that night where no one could overhear us, which was at the Shrine of Justice. I knew I was acting suspicious, but I had no other choice without knowing who I could trust exactly._

_Thankfully, Anamirian granted my request, and I asked her if she'd overheard anything specifically strange that could tell me more of what might have been going on. She told me that she overheard your sister speaking with Gerild about payments and the like, as if to make a deal for some item to do who knows what with. I immediately became suspicious that Gerild may have been the one I heard her talking to when Anamirian explained this to me._

_I returned to my duties the next day when we were ordered to Newbern to catch a band of traitors suspected of plotting against the crown. Lukas gave the order, and I rushed off with the Knights in the hopes to find out more about what was going on. Perhaps, I'd thought, one of these people knew more about what Charlain was giving the King to keep him asleep._

_When we arrived in the town, it was storming, but we found the house on the edge of the forests that we'd been sent in to find, complete with a hidden compartment full of what Gerild, who'd ridden with us, named as traitors. My Prince, these weren't traitors in hiding, they were prisoners, held against their will and poorly taken care of! A man who's live is lived in the Palace Dungeon had a better time of it than these poor people. You would be disgusted if you had seen it._

_Once I'd managed to clear my thoughts, I demanded to know what was going on. Already suspicious of Gerild to begin with, I realized I was completely right when he suddenly turned his sword to me and three of my comrades, telling us to join those in holding._

_I knew then that he'd spotted me in the corridor the previous day, and was trying to cover his tracks. The rest of the Knights made no move to stand for or against Gerild, and I soon learned it was because he'd put the blame of the King's condition on my shoulders among others. Sir, mos of my men are under the assumption that we're all to blame for the rumors of revolts spreading throughout the land. They thought I was guilty of this treason, and I'm still uncertain how deeply their belief runs, but I know that they'll be hard to convince otherwise with Gerild being Lukas's brother._

_I'm still unsure of the substance being given to your father, or how they're using it, nor was I able to ask before we were forced into the home and all of the doors and windows were locked and boarded. Soon, a fire was raging above us. They'd thought to burn us alive to silence the truth._

_Those Knights still true to your father fought bravely to save the innocent lives, and we lost two of them, along with an innocent townsman in the fire. The rest I managed to escape with, and we're now in a safe haven in a place I shall not mention due to the possibility of this letter not reaching you. Their safety has become my utmost concern._

_My Prince, do not look for us yourself. Too many questions could be raised against you, and though you now know of Gerild's treachery, it's not easy to tell if more are spinning this web of deceit with him, and if so, who they might be._

_Send someone else if you must, and should you manage to, tell them to ask for Bowe at the Blue Rose. The name will have meaning to you._

_Try to find out all that you can and put a stop to this. I will be continuing to do the same in the meantime. If I should find any information, you can trust that you'll hear from me again somehow. The only other instance I can think to warn you of are the hidden chambers I found. There was a long hallway I couldn't inspect, and I have no clue where it might lead to. There could be several hidden throughout the Palace and connected to any room therein._

_The one I found is located behind a statue of armor holding an axe in the corridor leading toward Lukas's bedchamber - where Charlain sleeps._

_Please burn this letter once you've read it. No one can know you're associating with a treacherous fugitive. My belief is that Charlain may be wishing to incapacitate King Seriun to keep her husband in power, for as long as the Grand Duke is in the Palace, his order overthrows yours. They'd look for any excuse they could to do the same to you that has been done to me._

_Your Loyal Servant,_

_Aggie_

Risek had done what Aggie suggested and burned the letter, but not for quite some time. He'd barely felt able to move in learning that his sister was poisoning his father, and more than likely had been all along. But once his mind became more and more aware, he burned the letter, and then considered the name _Bowe_.

That was Risek's nickname for Aggie when they were teenagers and first met aboard the Siren. The name hadn't stuck, but Risek still called him that from time to time, and the reason behind it was that Aggie resembled the Captain of the Siren so closely, and Bowe was the Captain's name.

So Bowe was actually Aggie.

The information had knocked the Prince for a loop. It took him a little bit to contain his anger and instead of charging his sister and Gerild with what he'd learned, instead go to inspect the wall that Aggie had mentioned. But Charlain had been standing there when Risek rounded the corner.

_Convenient_.

He couldn't say a word. Anything that came out of his mouth would have given away everything, and so he'd bitten his tongue. He first had to see to things for himself, then learn who might have been in line with Charlain, with Gerild, and who believed their lies. Then he could accuse them.

So Risek left with another effort in mind, and that was to have word given to Link and Zelda. They weren't safe in the Palace. The chambers Aggie mentioned no doubt led into their room and Charlain had no doubt been the one to use the binding stone.

Risek had no proof, no, but it was too coincidental to ignore. Secret chambers and learning that Charlain had a knowledge of potions he hadn't previously been privy to couldn't be passed up as happen chance, and suggested that Charlain knew much more of the White Knights than he _ever_ would have guessed on his own. So Risek feared now that not only could Link and Zelda be put on unfair trial, but also that they could be used again in such a fashion as they had been before.

He went to work in his bedchamber, finding a map of Palace Town before he grabbed a piece of parchment and began inking words down onto the paper for Link and Zelda to read.

As he went, holding down the parchment with his left hand, he saw the Triforce emblem on the back of it, and then took in a breath.

Though he didn't yet have all of the answer, he knew some of them quite well now. Link had to find Bowe - or Aggie - and together, they had to find the meaning behind all of this. Glancing back to the parchment, Risek continued to write steadily, feeling that time was of the essence.


	42. Escape

_Chapter 43 - Escape_

Zelda had nodded off while laying against Link on her bed. They'd played a few games in order to pass the time, but the honest truth was that they were both bored with the waiting and the inability to leave the chamber. Link held her against himself while she dozed quietly, and idly placed a kiss against the top of her head.

He had a feeling that something was on the horizon very close now. He simply couldn't put his finger on it. He'd been letting Zelda rest while he waited, watched the door, listened to the sounds coming from the hallway, and wondered what was coming to them both. His hands itched to do something more than simply wait, but for the moment, he was at patience's mercy.

Stars were twinkling brightly in the sky outside now. The sun had only just set maybe half an hour before, and Link watched them for a moment, quietly considering the situation. He hoped Risek had talked to Mirian, hoped that there was good news coming instead of the darkness that something deep within him said was there, and also, he thought about his parents, hoping they were doing well in Hyrule.

The last thing he considered was Zelda. When he had the thought of her, he glanced down to her peaceful face. He felt a little helpless in some instance that Risek had spoken of before - where duty concerned him while faced against her royalty.

If duty could have been served, she wouldn't be here now, sleeping against him due to boredom, locked in a chamber of the Palace while awaiting some resolution that he was starting to believe wouldn't come - not in the way it needed to anyway. It bothered him to know that she had to allow herself to be imprisoned in the face of diplomacy and service to her Kingdom, and that he had to sit back and allow it.

It wasn't his fault, Link knew that. She didn't expect him to save her from this, but Link wanted to. He guessed he just loved her too much, and figured he was a little overprotective. But he did know he'd do what he'd always done, and fight as hard as he could to keep her safe, and keep everything that she loved the same way.

The lock on the door turned suddenly, sounding a click through Link's thoughts. When it did, Link's eyes were automatically watching, and it opened to reveal Anamirian. Turning, she shut it quietly and looked over to see the two of them laying there so comfortably.

"Are you...asleep?," she asked softly.

Link shook his head, and without waking her, he sat forward and settled Zelda against the pillow where he'd been laying a moment before. She twitched a bit, but remained asleep because Link knew what she could sleep through and what she couldn't, knew how to move her without jarring her - finding it a little amusing that he _did_ know so much about her.

Once done, he stood up from the bed and went over to the chambermaid who'd just come calling, wondering if she had any news to give him. From the look on her face though, he supposed she did.

"No, I'm not asleep, Zelda dozed off without meaning to though. I want her to rest as well. Who knows when we might get a decent night's rest again."

Mirian nodded, and the look on her face was one that seemed concerned. "You're probably right. But I do have news. Risek says you need to leave, as soon as possible. He wants you both to escape and find Aggie, the Captain of our Knights."

Link's brows narrowed. With a shake of his head, he asked, "Did he say why?"

"He only gave me so much information. But he said that Aggie found entrance into a set of secret chambers hidden within the Palace itself, and that he suspects the King is being poisoned. This being the case, he doesn't want either of you to fall victim to it, and that you should both leave immediately, find Aggie, and look for more information with him."

Mirian went on to explain the events to him of that day, about how she'd been nearly cornered by one of the White Knights, and when she had, Link's face became a bit sour. "So they _are_ here." When Mirian nodded, he began to try to form a plan of action while informing her, "If you're a target, you should probably leave the Palace as well."

"I can't," Mirian shook her head. "I can't just leave Gabriel in the middle of all of this. I'll be fine here. Risek asked me to leave with you also, but I told him that I just couldn't in good conscious knowing Gabriel was still in danger too. I know Risek can protect him, but Risek doesn't need the extra distraction. I'd do better to stay here than go with you."

Link looked hesitant, as if he didn't agree completely, but he heard Zelda saying, "Link, she's right. Gabriel will be confused in all of this, and he looks up to her. If she's not about, it could prove very unsettling for the young Prince. Enough so to damage him."

Zelda pushed herself out of bed and covered her mouth with a silent yawn as she made her way over. Coming to a stop, she looked at Mirian and asked, "Was there anything else that Risek told you?"

"Yes," she nodded. "He said that when you find Aggie, tell him to make sure the people he's with are kept safe and away from the Kingdom's eyes for a while longer. He wrote you this letter as well."

Mirian pulled a rolled up piece of paper from her apron's pocket and handed it to Link. Folding his fingers around it, he listened as Mirian finished with the words, "He doesn't want you to leave immediately though, because it will be less conspicuous in the middle of the night. But the sooner the better also. Aggie could be hurt already, if not dead."

Link gave a nod of understanding, and he looked at the letter in his hand now, wondering what it might say. But he had to ask before Mirian left, "What would be the easiest way out of the Palace?"

"Servant's doors," Mirian told him, then she seemed to have an idea. Reaching into her pocket, she tugged out her keys and began to unsnap one from the clip they were attached to. "Here, this one opens most of them, it's something of a master key, but it doesn't open any of the doors to the main rooms. You'll know a servant's door when you see it, they're not as nicely decorated as the rest, smaller in size. You should take them out to the west yard and then go north along the wall to the stables. That building is just high enough that you could get over the wall with ease. No one should be around much at a late hour either."

Link gave a nod of understanding before pocketing the key and remembering that information easily. After all, they couldn't just teleport, there was no telling who'd be around to blow a whistle on them when they suddenly appeared again.

"Are you two...," Mirian started, "sure you're alright with this? Do you think you can manage it?"

Link looked up at her, and she watched as he gave her a reassuring smile, his blue eyes seeming confident. "Believe me, we've been in worse situations. We'll be fine."

Mirian felt better hearing him saying that, but she was still worried somehow. "What about your sword? It's still in the hallway with the guards standing watch. How will you get it?"

Zelda spoke up, "It shouldn't be difficult to manage. Leave it up to us. You go back to your duty and just act normally."

They both seemed so confident about everything that Mirian couldn't help but nod her head. Zelda stepped forward to her, placing a hand on her arm while giving a kind smile and adding the words, "We'll be gone in the morning. So I hope things go well here. Stay close to Risek, Mirian. He'll be sure you and Gabriel are kept safe."

Slowly, Mirian nodded her head, a slow smile forming on her own lips at the Hylian Princess she'd found so agreeable to be around. Mirian wondered if she'd ever get the chance to know the lady better, and she really hoped that she would. "Thank you, and I hope that you find Aggie soon. When you do, tell him I'm sorry I couldn't help him, I'm sorry I was so afraid."

"I'm sure he won't blame you for that," Link told her. "But we'll do so anyway. I hope we see you again soon."

"So do I," Mirian replied, smiling at them both. "I'd better be going though. Gabriel needs to be put to bed, and someone will get suspicious if he actually has to ask for me. I'm usually easy to find for him in the evenings."

Link and Zelda both smiled. As Mirian started leaving, she came to a stop and looking back, adding, "If we somehow _don't_ run into each other again, I just wanted to say thank you for being such a good friend to Risek. He needs all of the friends he can get right now, and I know you two have suffered because of what's going on about this home now, but I speak for those true to the crown when I say that we're all very grateful for it."

Zelda couldn't help it when her smile grew bigger. In reply, she waved a hand and told the chambermaid, "If all of those in Althor have as big a heart as you, then I don't think anything Link and I have suffered hasn't been worth it. I think it will all be worthwhile once our Kingdoms can call themselves allies again, and we would proudly do so."

Mirian seemed to really appreciate those words, and with a nod, she turned to leave finally. Letting the chambermaid go, once the doors were shut Link looked over at Zelda, his expression thoughtful.

"I hope she's alright. She really is a sweet person."

"It's easy to see why Risek took to her," Zelda said thoughtfully before looking away from the door and at her fiancee. "Speaking of which, we need to look at that letter."

Nodding, Link lifted his hand and unrolled the paper he held. On it was Risek's handwriting, and he read the words aloud to Zelda so they could see what it said.

_I'm sorry I couldn't tell you this in person, but I couldn't risk raising more suspicion, so I wrote this note instead. With this letter is a map of the town. I've circled the bakery where Mirian saw Aggie last, and hopefully, you can find him from there if his instructions don't work._

_I received a letter from Aggie earlier today that told me he stumbled across a secret chamber and passageways that he believes lead all over the Palace. He told me he saw Charlain entering one and overheard her speaking words that said she's poisoning my father._

_The details of what he told me are somewhat long, and I don't have enough time to explain it all here. You'll simply have to take my word for it for not and find Aggie in order to get the rest out of him. In the meantime, it's come to pass that escape is necessary._

_He may not be there, but the letter said to go to a tavern called Blue Rose and ask for Bowe, it's a name he's adopted to keep from being caught. You'll have to find him and help him. In the meantime, I intend to expose what I've learned of Charlain. Arrik is currently away in the town of Meley trying to quell rumor of revolt, so in the meantime, the only person I have to turn to is Lukas, who is also the only one I haven't found to have any ties to all that is going on beyond his brother Gerild._

_Whether or not Lukas is aware of Gerild's actions I am unsure, but if I can find the secret chamber that Aggie saw Charlain slip into, and show Lukas, it will convince him. As far as I can tell however, Gerild is some type of accomplis, covering up the truth, and could possibly be a Knight himself. Being his brother, I'll have to handle Lukas delicately, but it can and will be done._

_The Althor I've returned to is not the one I left. There is murder and lies floating about the Palace now, and I have to remain here to see that it gets fixed, otherwise I would accompany the both of you. But it's important for you to find Aggie. He'll take you to the people who have fallen prey to this conspiracy against my father and you'll be able to learn all that is needed from them no doubt._

_I have no right to ask this of you, but I'm hoping you'll help. There aren't many others I can trust anymore._

_My suggestion is to leave in the middle of the night. No one would know you were gone until morning. I've asked Mirian to help you in any way that she can as long as it doesn't place her in danger. The Knights are after her as well now, but for what, we're still unsure._

_Be safe, and avoid recapture. I hope to see you both again soon, though if you chose to leave Althor altogether, I couldn't blame you. Were I not bound by duty, I would leave as well with all that has happened._

_Risek_

Link sighed and lowered the paper down with one hand. Looking over at Zelda, his face one of confusion and disgust, he said the first thing on his mind.

"She's poisoning her own father?"

Zelda also looked a good bit disgusted, and she shook her head over the whole matter. "I wonder what she could be poisoning him with. If I knew, I might be able to counter it. Then again, it might be a simple matter of no longer taking whatever this poison is for the effects to wear off."

Link nodded, "We'd best find Aggie then, and see if he knows the details, or maybe someone who does. But we're not leaving Althor, not until this is all taken care of. The score is personal to me, even if I didn't feel the need to lend aide to a new friend."

Zelda smiled, glad for Link's determination. The only other thing she could think to suggest was, "Perhaps we should let Myriad know about all of this before we attempt our escape. She may have something to suggest that we haven't thought of."

Thinking that was a good idea, Link reached into his pouch and tugged out the stone that Myriad had given him. Holding it up, he allowed Zelda to place her palm over it, and as had happened every other time one of the stones was used, once they'd asked her name, she responded without hesitation.

"_Link, Zelda, the hour is a bit late. You must have learned of something important._"

"We have," Zelda began, and following those words, she let Link read the letter to Myriad which they'd just received from Risek. They knew Myriad was listening to every word, and once Link was done, he continued, "So now you can see just how deeply this betrayal actually does run, and if we stay here, we'll more than likely be found guilty regardless of our defense."

"_Yes, you would. Risek is right. Escape is now a necessity. Follow what he's outlined in his letter, and do not worry for finding out the nature of the potion keeping the King asleep, for it would be a simple matter of no longer administering this substance to him to make it wear off. I knew someone a long time ago, a Hylian who'd traveled to Althor on several an occasion. From my own knowledge, there is a weed that grows native there that, when mixed with magics, can put someone asleep for lengthy periods of time. It's called Dreamwart, a popular sedative, but you must know the amounts to be used before it will work properly._"

"Charlain's using this?"

"_Yes. It's only lethal in extreme doses, but from how it sounds, Charlain's only trying to keep her father incapacitated so that her husband can stay on the throne._"

That surprised Link, brows narrowing. "But Risek's the Prince. How could Lukas stay on the throne?"

"_Lukas is a Grand Duke, married to the Princess. A Grand Duke's power outranks a Prince's. Lukas may not have formally overtaken Risek's control, but he very well could, especially if led to believe that Risek is also in on the plot set against his father_."

Nodding in understanding, Link looked at Zelda when she asked, "Myriad, do you think that Lukas knows about this? No one's seen him having any hand in it so far."

"_This is hard to say. He may not know, but then, his brother could be a Knight, and if this is true, the chances are just as equal that Lukas is also against us and not with us. I worry for Risek when trying to expose his sister._"

Link also looked worried over the comment, and he shook his head, "Then we can't just leave him here. What if Lukas turns against him?"

Silence came for a moment from Myriad while she thought about the situation. But eventually, she replied, "_You __**have**__ to leave, Link. Staying will only make his situation worse. If Lukas __**does**__ turn against Risek, then the Prince will need someone on the outside to give him a helping hand. I think the best idea is to look for this Bowe character, and stay close to Althor's Palace so that you can intervene in the next few days before anything can happen_."

With a sigh, Link knew she was right, but once again felt as if he couldn't do anything for anyone. But Zelda's importance was weighty, and she needed to get out of the Palace. If she was tried unfairly, a war could result between the Kingdoms. Link didn't underestimate these White Knights and what they were capable of, and he couldn't compromise Zelda by sticking around to see what would happen to Risek.

"Then we'll leave sometime tonight," he said in reply to Myriad. "We'll contact you again soon."

"_I always look forward to it_," she gave, the smile she had sounding in her voice. "_Take care, and keep your eyes open_."

"We will. I love you," Link said to his mother, bidding her goodbye before Zelda removed her hand from the stone and he placed it back into his pouch. Now that their link was severed, he looked at Zelda and added, "So, should we try to get a bit of rest before we go?"

"Hmm, I don't know if I'd be able to sleep."

"Me either," Link replied, then shook his head. He wouldn't no matter how hard he would try to. So instead of even considering it, he looked at the door and spoke, "First thing's first. I want my sword back."

Zelda glanced over at the door with him, figuring out the easiest way to retrieve it, and she looked at Link when something came to mind. "I have an idea."

That was all Link needed to hear, and just a short while later, they put that plan into action after being sure they were completely ready.

"Guard! Help!"

Link banged on the door after a crash had sounded from inside of their room, and yelled for one of the guards to come to the door.

Without much of a wait, he listened as the lock clicked open, and with a timed and measured movement, he used his fist - while wearing the gauntlets he'd found in the Temple of Fire so long ago now that lent him extra strength - to bang on the door again as it opened.

The result and the timing was perfect. The door went right into the reacting guard's forehead with a hard smack, and even though he was wearing a helmet, the strength Link used knocked the guard silly. He went crashing backwards, and Link held up both hands as the door swung open and the other guard standing watch rushed over.

"Whoa! I'm sorry!" Link stared down at the man he'd just knocked silly and stayed still so the guard confronting him now wouldn't make any sudden movements against him.

"What's going on here!," the guard demanded, taking his sights from Link just long enough to spy his currently knocked-for-a-loop comrade, then back to Link again.

"It's Zelda," Link told the man who was holding his sword held up to face him, motioning toward her with his hand. "Look!"

The guard glanced over to see Zelda laying on the floor near a toppled over table, apparently unconscious. While he took the sight in, Link went on, "She was complaining of feeling woozy a bit earlier, and got up to get something to drink, hoping she would feel a little better. Then she just collapsed. She needs a doctor!" Link then motioned his hand at the guard, "So does your friend from the way he's acting. Go get one!"

The guard he'd hit had just tried to stand back up, but he'd toppled back onto his hind end and just laid there, still trying to shake it off. The one guard who was still lucid glanced back and forth, seeing that Link was probably right, and amidst the chaos he finally nodded. "I'll go get him."

Link watched the guard moving off quickly, and he knew he didn't have a lot of time. Going into the hallway, seeing the man disappearing around the corner, he reached for the guard he'd had to knock silly and pulled him inside of the room. Then he went for the Master Sword the had been resting between them in the hallway all of this time and rushed it inside of the room as well, hiding it conveniently behind a dresser against the wall while the guard struggled to push himself over and see what was going on.

Once done, Link went back toward them both and asked the guard as he got Zelda up into his arms, "Hey, are you alright?"

"I'm...not toooo sure," the guy replied, shaking his head. "What time is it, Mom?"

Link cringed, hoping he hadn't caused the man any real damage, simply replying, "I'm not your Mom."

"Oh, then it's half past."

"Yeah," Link drew out, deciding just not to speak to the man anymore, and he glanced down at his fiancee who was playing opossum while he waited for the doctor to arrive. With all of the commotion, he was sure that the guards wouldn't notice the sword missing from the hallway, and it didn't take long for the second guard to come back with an old, white haired doctor just behind him.

"What seems to be the trouble!," the doctor asked, and Link reiterated what he'd told the guard to begin with.

It was an elaborate ploy to get his sword back, but it was necessary. While the doctor looked Zelda over, asking questions about what she'd eaten and other such things, he told the guard to get his friend to a bed to lay down for a while because a bump to the noggin needed to be watched carefully. Apparently the guard was alright though because he walked with an arm over his friend's shoulder once he was helped up.

Then again, he was also asking if his mother had been by at all that night because he could've sworn he'd seen her earlier.

Finally, the doctor admitted that he wasn't completely sure about Hylian health, but asked if she or Link had eaten any shellfish since they'd arrived in Althor. When Link said they had, even though he knew they hadn't, the doctor told him not to let her have anymore because sometimes it could cause reactions such as this. Seafood was a good part of Althorian gourmet, and shellfish was right at the top of the list, so they needed to be careful of it.

They got her to the bed, and the doctor told Link it didn't look like a severe reaction, but that she needed to rest. He'd inform the maids not to serve her anymore of the dish in the meantime.

Thanking him, the doctor left the room, and when he did, Zelda opened her eyes and sat up, asking, "Did you get it?"

He smiled, nodding his head as he'd gone to the dresser and tugged it out. "Yes, so we should leave soon now, before they notice it's missing. You can make us invisible in order to get out of the room, right?"

"Yes, but the spell won't last too long. We'll have to get to one of the servant's doors quickly before we're spotted. I can't cast the spell again for a short while once I've put us under it's effects."

Giving a nod of his head, Link helped her up, and then he grabbed his sword again, tied his harness around his back and chest, and secured his shield into place along with his hammer bag that he carried most of his items in which no one had searched because it wasn't a formal arrest. Once he had everything in place, he looked over at Zelda.

She'd just put a cloak on along with a hood to cover her head and ears, and Link followed suit. Once they were finished, she glanced over at him and asked, "Are you ready?"

"Yes," he nodded. "Let's get out of here."


	43. Hide and Seek

_Chapter 44 - Hide and Seek_

Blue Rose Tavern.

The place hadn't been difficult to find. What _had_ been a slight bit difficult was figuring out where they were in accordance with the map so that they could get there more easily.

Fugitives now, Link and Zelda had settled themselves in a quiet corner of the streets where there wasn't much light in order to hide from randomly passing guards and figure out their little puzzle. Hiding under the veil of hoods and cloaks, it didn't take them long before they were on their way.

Link felt the tavern would be closed more than likely due to the late hour, but he wanted to find it so they wouldn't have much trouble in figuring out where it was located later. He'd been a bit surprised though to find a light coming from inside of the establishment. The tavern itself looked nicely kept, windows sporting painted glass diamond patterns and a sign hanging over the door with a picture of a blue rose painted onto it, he looked at Zelda and shrugged.

"So maybe they _are_ open after all."

It wasn't completely close to dawn, maybe an hour or so away, so the two of them could only guess really. After using every trick in the book that they could to escape the Palace and keep from being spotted, which including traversing a few ledges outside of windows and then Mirian's key to open servants doors, all while ducking guards, especially once they'd made it over the wall, it would be nice to have a place to sit down and relax for just a few minutes.

So Link decided to try to use the front door and see if it was unlocked. When it opened, he shrugged and pushed it in, the whole while wondering just how good of an idea it might be to go inside now. After all, it was very late or very early depending on how someone looked at it, and guards could have been inside, spending some time off with a good drink or two.

Still, it could have happened just as easily in the daytime, if not more so because everyone would be awake, and so Link went ahead and took a chance, heading into the tavern with Zelda, their cloaks sure to make them look like travelers passing through the area. The most important thing about the hoods though was that they masked their Hylian ears - a dead give away to their identities in this Kingdom, especially once word got out that they'd escaped.

The inside of the tavern was just as nice as the outside. Wooden floors and pillars lined the area, and the tables and bar had grey marble tops, lined in blue probably due to the name of the place. As the two took in their surroundings, they noticed that they weren't alone.

Three guards were sitting at a table on the far side of the room, but one of them was passed out. The other two had large mugs they'd been drinking from, and from the slur of their words to one another - spoken at a moderate volume - Link knew they were probably too drunk to care what was going on around them. Probably off duty. Saying they caught wind of what was going on, they'd probably be too drunk to follow them for long.

"Well hello there," a voice said from behind the bar. A large man with big, burly arms, wearing a white button up shirt beneath a somewhat marred apron was shining a glass with a white clothe, and both of the hooded patrons he'd just greeted glanced over in his direction.

Link took Zelda's hand and led her over to the bar, saying in reply to the man, "Hello. I didn't think you were open."

"Nah, Blue Rose is always open. Guards like to stop here during their nightly rounds and have a brew or two while they're on break. So what can I do for you two?," he added after the explanation of the guards hanging out in the back of the place. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, you look like travelers. Figured maybe you were passin' through."

Link nodded his head, the reasoning good enough for him. "We are for more or less. What about them?," he motioned toward the guards. "They're not still on duty, are they?"

"Nope," the man grinned. "Been here all night. Pay 'em no mind, they get loud from time to time, but it's been a quiet one over all really. Just them and Renard," he chuckled. "But then again, Renard's _always_ here."

"Renard? Who's that?," Zelda asked.

The bartender motioned with his head to a somewhat darker area behind Link and Zelda, and they turned to look. With his head on the table, sound asleep, they spotted a Hylian of all people sitting there.

While taking the sight in, the bartender continued on from behind them, "Renard's been in Althor for a month now, but he likes to travel a lot. Spends his time around here lately though, said he was taking a short vacation. Something about needing to rest for a while before moving on."

Link was surprised to see a Hylian in Althor besides Zelda. Glancing back again, he asked, "How long has he been asleep now?"

"Not sure, never paid him much mind. Probably a while though."

With a nod, Link looked at Zelda to see that she'd turned to face the bartender with him. Renard could be a good lead, and he knew that Zelda realized that. But Link thought that maybe this bartender might know something as well, so without further ado, he got started in asking about Bowe and seeing what they could find out.

"You know," he began, "we're actually looking for someone in specific, his name's Bowe. You wouldn't know it by any chance would you?"

The bartender's expression grew thoughtful and he leaned his arms onto the counter after placing his recently shined glass aside with the others. "Hmm, Bowe, you say? Can't say it rings any bells. Maybe one of the bartenders or maidens who're here during the day has though. Might want to try then. Or you can always ask Renard over there since he'd about most times."

With a nod, Link asked him, "Well, in the meantime, have you got any milk?"

"Sure thing, not much of one for ale or whiskey huh?"

"Not really," Link replied, shaking his head.

"And what about you, little lady? Care for anything?"

"No thank you, except maybe a glass of water," Zelda told the man, wanting to blend in with the crowd instead of stand out so to speak.

With a nod, the bartender got their drinks and settled them down onto the counter, telling them both to enjoy themselves while they stayed before he moved on to finish cleaning other areas of the bar. As he did, Link took his milk in hand, not specifically thirsty, but he thought he might look a little less conspicuous with the guards near by if he played the part of a weary traveler and got something to drink, sotted though they were or not.

"Do you think we should go wake him?," Zelda asked as she turned to face Link completely. "Or wait until he wakes up? He may be more friendly if he's gotten a decent nap."

"True," Link replied, "but I also want to know about Bowe, and the sooner we can find out more about him, the safer some people might be."

Zelda gave a nod of her head, also figuring that might've been the better course of action since lives were on the line. "Then, let's go nudge him awake."

Taking the glass of milk and downing it, Link sighed out a breath and settled it down, swiping a hand over his mouth with a nod of his head, and began walking toward the table with Zelda just behind him.

Once he'd gotten to the heavily snoring Hylian, he stopped for just a moment, contemplating the best way to go about this, and then asked, "Uh, excuse me, Renard?"

Renard continued snoring soundly, and Link looked back to Zelda and shrugged a bit. Reaching over, he started shaking the Hylian by his shoulders and said his name again, "Renard, wake up."

"Huh, what! I paid my tab already!," the man sputtered out a bit as he sat back straight, peering a set of blue eyes up at the two who'd just woken him before stopping altogether. After a moment, he seemed to get his mobility back. Reaching up, he started rubbing his eyes, pushing some blonde hair from his face to smooth it back a bit with his fingers before he yawned into his fist.

"You're not Reesha," he told them on an obvious tone of voice.

Link glanced at Zelda and back, asking, "Who's Reesha?"

"Owner of the bar. She's been bugging me for the past few days to pay my tab, which I just did today." Smacking his lips once and yawning again, he asked through the drawn out sound, "Who're you two?"

Link shrugged his shoulders casually as if that much didn't really matter, telling Renard, "It's a long story. But we're passing through, looking for a man named Bowe. The bartender said you might know him."

Renard, though still somewhat asleep, narrowed his brow and looked up at the both of them inquisitively. His brief pause made Link think that he knew exactly who they were talking about, but Renard only said, "Not sure. Met a lot of people here in the last month. Can't really remember names anymore."

Zelda put her hand on Link's shoulder as she stepped forward in order to try herself since she sometimes had better luck with the sweet tone of her voice, saying, "It would've been recent. He only just arrived here. Anything you can tell us would be helpful."

Renard looked from Link and toward Zelda, her violet blue eyes a bit beseeching, and he sat back, regarding the both of them quietly for a moment. When he looked back at Link again, noticing that the boy's eyes a more sapphire blue, he suddenly gave the young man an even more scrutinizing gaze, tilting his head a bit.

"Do I know you? You look familiar," he asked Link.

The question seemed a bit out of place, but Renard looked as if he earnestly wanted to know anyway. Shaking his head, Link replied, "Don't think so. Not that I know of anyway." Link had to stop himself suddenly, about to ask if Renard had been to Hyrule recently, but he didn't want to give anything away just yet, not here and not now.

When Link gave his response, Renard put another question to him, "What did you say your name was again?"

Briefly, Link glanced over at the guards settled in the back of the tavern, and noticing that they were completely absorbed by their own company, he told Renard, "It's Link."

"Link, Link, Link," Renard thought, repeating the name like it might jog something in his head, then shook it slowly. "Nope, doesn't ring a bell. Ah well. Sorry I couldn't help you," the man went on before standing up from his table. "But I get the feeling I'm only gonna get the rest of my sleep if I go back to the Inn anyway, drunk guards around and all. Good luck finding this Bowe guy."

Link and Zelda both allowed him to get up and leave, heading to the door without another thought. As they watched him go, Zelda said what Link was thinking. "I think he's trying to protect Aggie. He doesn't know we mean him no harm."

"I have to agree," Link nodded. "I think we should follow him, if only to find out where he's staying and see if we can catch him later sometime. Preferably alone."

"Good idea," Zelda nodded, and she began to walk with Link to the door so they could pursue the man. Hopefully, he wouldn't be anymore aggravated that they'd followed him on top of woken him up from a nap in order to question him.

Keeping Zelda close, Link headed to the door of the establishment to follow Renard. His steps came to a stop though when the door suddenly opened and a guard walked inside, the speed making Link back up just a bit.

"Hey!"

Link thought the man was talking to him, his first instinct to run, but thankfully, there was a sound of a crash coming from behind them while the drunken soldiers scrambled to stand up, tossing their chairs about with their hurried movements in the process.

Link moved to the side without making his movements too sudden, and the guard moved past them, telling the patrons he'd been speaking to before, "I hope you haven't been drinking too much, I just got notice."

"Notice?," one of the drunken men asked. "What's...notice?"

Seeing how his speech was slurred and the fact that he wasn't standing up completely straight, the guard who'd just entered the tavern knew that drinking too much had been _exactly_ what his comrades were doing. In response, he let an agitated sigh and went on, "Great, we've got a lost Princess to find along with her Knight, and you three are sotted. Wonderful." Turning to the bartender, the armored soldier instructed, "Jorgo, _don't_ serve them anymore beer. I need them sober as soon as possible, just incase we can't find our new fugitives."

The bartender gave the guard a partial salute, and in his much more sober state, he asked, "Princess? You don't mean Charlain do you?"

"No," the soldier drew out as if he wished that might've been the case because he didn't think Charlain would've been a danger to society, looking over at the two hooded patrons in the bar for a moment before he went on in explanation. "I mean Princess Zelda of Hyrule. A guard went to check the room when all was quiet, and found nothing. She's a suspect in an attack on Prince Risek. So if you see any Hylians around and about, call a guard immediately. But try not to let them know you're onto them. If suspicions are correct, they'll run at the sign of recapture."

"I see. Well, I'll make sure these boys get good and sober soon enough incase they don't turn up."

After Jorgo gave the guard his word, the man nodded in appreciation, then narrowed a brow, turning to face the two hooded patrons again.

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to have–," he stopped suddenly. They were no longer standing there, having left the tavern completely.

Outside, Link and Zelda hid beside of the building when the guard walked outside to see if he could locate the two hooded individuals for questioning, and when they weren't in sight, he shrugged and turned to walk off, mounting a horse before trotting down the road a ways.

Hearing the sound of hoof beats growing softer in the distance, Link turned and looked around the corner, spying him leaving. Standing up straight again, Zelda spoke up behind him, "At least now we know that they're aware we've escaped. We need to find that Inn before more can happen."

"Right," Link agreed, and he reached into his pouch to tug the map out. Some of the buildings had names on the map, and as he read them, he started by saying, "There's only one Inn listed on this map, right here," he pointed it out, "up the road the way the guard went, turn right, and down a few buildings."

The sun had started coming up, the sky beginning to lighten in color a bit, and Link rolled the map back up and took Zelda's hand. "Come on, before someone really starts asking us questions. But if they do, we've been at the Blue Rose looking around, that's all, just so we keep our story straight." As he began to walk, he added in a slight grumble, "Why do I get the feeling what the Gerudo taught me is going to come in handy soon. I almost with Nabooru was here."

Zelda walked along with him, smiling over his spoken thought. With the sky overhead becoming lighter as they made their turn, they saw the word "Inn" printed on one of the signs. It was rather tall, but very nicely built, and looked like a place that only the wealthy might be able to afford. Somehow, it didn't really seem as if a man who'd fall asleep in a bar and owe it a tab would stay there, but who knew. Hopefully, Renard was there anyway and not at some other place.

But if he wasn't, Link and Zelda would simply have to resign themselves to the Blue Rose and wait for something to show up.

Stepping inside of the establishment, the clerk - who was settled behind the front desk asleep - was talking about some girl named Lea who was apparently very pretty if his words were any indication. Zelda watched as Link lifted his finger to tell her to be quiet and then walked around to step in behind the desk next to where the clerk slept.

"Keep a watch on the door, Zelda. They might have a guest list," Link told her softly, leaning down to look under the desk and in the shelves hidden from public eye to see if he could find it.

He silently searched, and while he was down there, Zelda kept an eye on the door. Glancing back when the clerk twitched a bit, she saw him settling again and returning to his slumber. It took Link a few minutes after that, but he finally stood back up and left the area to walk back around.

When he moved in beside Zelda, she looked up at him to listen. "He's here, in room 55. Let's go find it."

Nodding, Zelda went along with him and into the back of the nicely built and furnished inn. It was probably a bit expensive to stay there, especially for a month, so Link could only imagine just where Renard got his funding from if he was a traveler like the bartender named Jorgo had told them. Maybe he had money saved up from all over the place, who knew?

While looking for him, Link and Zelda found out that the rooms were marked according to the floor apparently. The first floor only had single digit numbers, so they found the stairs and went up a level. That floor was marked in the teens, and realizing this, Link and Zelda went back to the steps and headed up to the fifth floor.

Once they arrived, they began looking the numbers over, and Link found 57 when Zelda told him, "Over here, Link."

Turning, he walked over to the right door, and looked at Zelda. "Think he'll be mad?"

With a softly made sigh, Zelda shook her head, "Even if he is, I don't think we have a choice."

"Well, let's find out then," Link replied and reached up his fist to knock at the door.


	44. Confrontation

_Chapter 45 - Confrontation_

Morning time came to an empty chamber where Princess Zelda and Link had been sleeping the night before. Mirian hadn't found them gone - thankfully, she thought to herself - but when she _did_ hear about it, she acted as surprised as she could. She'd been readying a meal for them both, and once she'd _learned the truth_, she turned to the plate and decided that she should probably just add it to what was being served for breakfast elsewhere.

She had to wonder though just how Link had managed to get his sword back and escape with Zelda with no one finding out until this morning. She was glad for it either way though. Hopefully, they'd already found Aggie and were well on their way to helping stop all this mess that was going on.

But Mirian soon learned that whatever Link and Zelda might have been up to was a secondary thought to her own plight.

It was getting a bit closer to noon when she was heading to Gabriel's chambers to find out if he was reading the book he'd been assigned by his teacher to read when she noticed a few shadows behind her. Turning around, she came face to chest with a guard, and she craned her neck back to look up at him.

"Anamirian," the guard spoke, "would you please come with me? Lukas asked me to fetch you."

_Lukas?_ Mirian blinked in a little surprise. "He did? Did he say why?"

Even as she asked, she went to walk with the guard, who just shook his head in ignorance. "No idea honestly. But it seemed important, whatever it was. I hope it's not interrupting anything important."

Most people knew the chambermaid and liked her, so Mirian wasn't surprised at all by his politeness. Shaking her head and telling him he hadn't specifically, she was led down the hallway across the marble floors and to the tower so that she could be taken to see Lukas. On the way, she kept herself calm and contained. Yes, she knew about Link and Zelda's escape, but Lukas didn't know that, and if he asked any questions, she'd tell him what she'd been planning on all along.

Mirian didn't consider herself a brilliant, or even a great liar, if even one at all, but when faced with the safety of loved ones, she was quite confident in her ability to pull it off.

Once they made it to the Grand Duke's office - which actually belonged to the King but Lukas had done his work there since Risek left for Hyrule - the guard announced to Lukas who sat behind the desk, "My Lord, here she is as you requested."

Lukas looked up to see the head chambermaid and he gave her a little smile. "You may leave us. Anamirian," he then addressed her while the guards turned to go, "how has your day been so far?"

"Good, my lord," she nodded, hoping it would continue to do so.

"That's good, I hope I didn't interrupt anything important."

"Oh no," she waved her hand, "just going to check on Gabriel, make sure he was reading his book. You know how little boys can be sometimes."

Lukas smiled with a nod of his head given before he stood up, setting a quill pen into the inkwell. He then turned to walk around the desk and head in her direction, stopping to stand just in front of her. "Yes, boys will be boys," he responded, then added, "and I know it seems odd of me to summon you, but I'm sure you've heard of the investigation we're performing."

"On Risek's attack?," she asked curiously. _I hope so_.

"No, though that is pressing and somewhat related," Lukas informed her, simultaneously dashing her hopes in the process, while he waved a hand in explanation. So it _was_ about Link and Zelda's escape, but she kept her expression neutral as he spoke further exactly what she'd just thought. "It's actually about the Princess's Zelda's disappearance along with her Knight. I just wanted to ask you a question or two."

"Of course," Mirian agreed with a nod, pushing a strand of red hair behind her pointed ear while she wondered what those questions were.

Seeing her willingness to answer him, Lukas started with the question, "You've been tending to their needs, haven't you?"

"Yes," Mirian replied, "and I was making their breakfast when I heard they'd gone missing."

She knew not to say too much, so she let Lukas do the talking, stopping her words at those lines. When she did, Lukas gave her a nod of understanding.

"I see. Well, we're not sure exactly when they managed to escape, but we've been asking numerous people about their disappearance. They _were_ in their room last night, weren't they?"

Again, Mirian nodded, saying as little as possible, which wasn't hard considering she was a bit shy, especially when she was nervous about something. "Yes, they were. I took them an evening meal and tidied up a bit for them."

Lukas seemed to take those words in before glancing to the side in a bit of thought. "Did they perhaps mention anything to you that seemed strange? Perhaps any complaints about their treatment or Zelda feeling under the weather?"

That was fairly specific. Mirian could only imagine in hearing the lines just how Link and Zelda had managed their escape, but she tried not to think about that, and instead, focused on their last conversation. It was one she definitely wouldn't be reciting for the Grand Duke, but she knew she needed to think about it anyway so that she could form something coherent to tell him.

Her golden eyes traveled off into the distance while she thought. After a brief moment, she shook her head, "Not that I recall. I wouldn't call it a complaint, but Princess Zelda had fallen asleep from little to do for entertainment as Link put it. He never said she'd felt under the weather though."

"So it was just Link you spoke with?"

_Careful, Mirian, he might be able to trick something out of you_. Mirian shook her head, "No, she woke up just before I left. But she didn't have anything odd to say either."

"I see, that's good," Lukas nodded. "I'd hate to have to involve you further, I don't know you well, but I have the mind that you're nervous about all of this mess."

"I am a little, yes," Mirian admitted. "It worries me for Gabriel the most."

"Agreed," Lukas replied. "He's so young after all. If anything, I want it all cleaned up just so he won't have to suffer some type of mishap. But I do have something else to ask you that I'm sure you'd be the only one who could tell."

Mirian could only wonder what this could be, and she waited patiently for it, nodding her head for him to continue. When she did, Lukas told her, "As you're well aware, being the head chambermaid, there are certain doors specified for servant's use alone in order to make their chores a bit easier. This morning, after we did a search, some of the guards noticed that a few of those doors had been left unlocked. I was curious if it was a common practice for doors to be left in such a state after dark."

"No," Mirian answered honestly, keeping herself from panicking when she realized exactly what he was asking her. After all, just because he'd asked didn't mean he blamed her. Did he even know about the keys she had to begin with?

"I didn't think so," Lukas returned, then stepped toward her. "Would you please empty your pockets?"

"Of course," she replied, reaching into one to tug the inside out and show that it was empty, and then grabbed the key ring she had in the other pocket which was the only item she carried on her at that moment.

_Please don't let him know about the keys_.

Despite her thoughts, once she had the item in hand, Lukas reached out for it, and she placed it into his palm. Lifting the keys up, Lukas looked them over, and he asked, "Which one of these is the master key that opens all of the doors?"

_Don't panic, Mirian_.

The key he was asking for was the key Mirian had given to Link, and there were no copies of it because of security reasons. Only the head chambermaid had them, and she'd already passed it on. But she'd do it again if it was needed, even if something bad happened to her now. Mirian reached up her hand and pushed some of the keys about, brows narrowed.

"It's not here, my lord."

"That's what I thought," Lukas spoke knowingly. Once he had, he turned with the keys still in his hand, and Mirian could feel a bit of sweat breaking out on her forehead which she swiped away quickly while he wasn't looking.

Coming to a stop next to his desk, Lukas began, "I'm guessing, since neither Link nor Zelda had anything to say last night, that Link possibly stole them from your pocket when you were unaware. You did have them then, didn't you?"

"I did," Mirian replied, "but I didn't think I'd gotten close enough."

"Perhaps you didn't," Lukas went on. Turning about, he added, "Perhaps you only got within arms reach to hand the key to him. After all, the key was on this ring, and it would take a thief more than just skill to reach into your pocket and tug the key off without your notice, wouldn't it?"

Mirian's lips parted a bit. Her mind went blank, and she had no idea what to say. First of all, she wasn't a practiced liar, and secondly, she was scared. _If ever there was a time to panic..._ Shaking her head, she finally told Lukas, "I didn't–"

"What's going on here?"

The sudden words spoken by Risek were clipped and a bit cold. Mirian looked up quickly to see him walking into the room behind her - heart completely filled with relief and gratitude toward the Goddesses for that. Maybe now she'd have a chance of not getting blamed for all of this.

Lukas replied as Risek stepped toward them, coming to a stop near the chambermaid after he'd asked his question. "We have reason to believe that our head chambermaid allowed Link and the Princess Zelda to escape. She was the last one with them, and knows the Palace better than even I do, you as well as far as I know. The master key to the servant's doors is also missing from her key ring."

Risek didn't make any type of expressive response to the words, practicing his stone cold face as he so often did when dealing with these matters, which gave him an advantage. He was surprised in truth however. He didn't know Mirian had given Link the master key to the servant's doors, but he was glad that she did. Still, though Mirian had done this, she had nothing to do with what was going on.

Risek had to defend her honor. He would take the blame if there was blame to be dealt out.

Before Risek could say anything more though, Lukas went on, lifting the keys that came from Mirian's pocket. "Look for yourself," he told the Prince, handing them over. "It's gone, which is evidence enough against her to bare the proper punishment. It also raises several other questions about the attack on you. She may well have helped to orchestrate it."

Mirian's eyes went wide, and she shook her head immediately, because _that_ was blatantly false. But despite the threat, Risek's face was still blank. He knew what a punishment for this kind of treachery was. Releasing anyone who was named a suspect and being held in the dungeon or under any other form of arrest without proper command was to be given thirty lashes with a whip publicly and then sent to spend a month in the dungeon themselves.

There was no way Risek would allow this fate to fall upon Mirian, much less would he allow her to be further accused of orchestrating an attack against him. So he told Lukas the _truth_.

"If this is your problem, then you can let her go. She's not the one you're after for this."

Lukas looked genuinely surprised, lifting his brows over the words. "Oh? And then, if I may, who is?"

Risek's face was still flat, and he tossed the keys back to Lukas who caught them easily and informed the Grand Duke without missing a beat, "I am."

That admission made Mirian turn a set of wide eyes up at Risek. He didn't look at her however, kept his gaze settled on Lukas as he went on, "I told them last night that they should leave this morning sometime because, as I see it, there's something left to be desired about the Althor I've returned to. Anamirian was simply performing her duties as the chambermaid when she went to visit them, and I swiped the key to give to them later."

After a moment of letting that information set in, Risek added, "My aim was not to set up Anamirian to take a fall for me, but rather, to give Link and his Princess an easier time."

Lukas lifted a single brow, tilting his head slightly. He looked completely incredulous. "Even though they attacked you? You allowed them both to leave? And without proof they had nothing to do with your attack, still claiming they were under the control of magic? _Why_?"

Risek's expression grew even more cold than before, and with it settled on his face he replied, "Because I know they're both innocent. Furthermore, I know there is a _real_ traitor among us here in this very Palace, but for some strange reason, you're too interested in the peasants of Newbern to care. So if you want the culprit behind Link and Zelda's escape, then look no further."

"My Prince, I–"

Mirian was cut off when Risek raised his hand to stop her, not wanting any of this to fall on her shoulders. For now, he needed to confront this man. Before his arrival just then, earlier that day, Risek had looked into a few things before dragging Lukas off to see the secret chambers he himself had visited, stood in, and cursed aloud after breaking several objects stored within them. No doubt, Charlain was going to return to her little witch's lair and be very unhappy with what she found.

Now, after asking about discreetly, Risek had managed to learn something very interesting about Lukas, and he was going to confront the man right here, right now.

When Risek held up his hand, Mirian grew silent, and the Prince said, "I also know that your wife has been up to something, along with your brother, but what I'm still unsure of. I was curious if perhaps you'd fill me in on the gaps, Lukas."

Even though Risek knew full well they'd been poisoning the King, he wasn't going to tell Lukas that straight out. He wanted to see if Lukas would tell him anything _else_ he _didn't_ know, so he just waited for a reply now.

Lukas's brows narrowed, staring at Risek as if the Prince might've grown a second head. Without replying to him or looking at Mirian, he told the chambermaid, "Leave us."

Mirian looked torn. She didn't want to leave, not in this situation, but Risek suddenly told her, "Listen to him. Resume your duties, Anamirian. We need to talk."

Breathing out heavily, she nodded and turned to leave quickly. While she didn't want anything to happen to Risek, she had to let him do what he needed to, but still felt completely helpless as she once more fled a scene where someone she cared for was in trouble. Then again, Risek didn't seem to need aide, and his cold demeanor toward Lukas made her completely grateful that she wasn't in the Grand Duke's shoes just then.

She'd leave the room, but she wasn't leaving the corridor beyond it. After all, eavesdropping was a chambermaid's specialty.

Once the door had shut, Risek pulled something from a pouch attached to his belt. It came from Charlain's chamber, a vial full of purplish liquid, and Risek set it down on the desk with a resounding tap of glass against wood.

"I found that in a secret passageway last night, one in which Aggie saw my sister adjourn to before I returned from Hyrule. Dreamwart, used to keep my father in a deep sleep." The words angered Risek so much that he had to stop for a moment before continuing on. Staring at Lukas, he finally managed to continue what he meant to say.

"I was going to bring it to you as proof of treachery, but I still wasn't completely sure I could trust you, so I asked someone a few questions about recent events. Unknowing that I was aware of the treatment of certain townspeople in Newbern, they dropped your name without a second thought. You gave the order to have Aggie cornered, to murder him and three other Knights, along with a group of townspeople, by burning them alive!"

Risek couldn't help the anger evident in his voice, the tone harsh and cold, raising in pitch as he went along. He shook his head in disgust at Lukas, finally finishing his litany, "_That's_ why Aggie was labeled a traitor, isn't it, Lukas? He found out what your brother and my sister were up to, so you sought to silence him. And knowing this," Risek added, "I have only two questions to put to you."

Sneering, Risek asked him pointedly, "First, how does it feel to sit in a place of power and use it to do for yourself as you see fit instead of using it to benefit others? I've never done that, so I wouldn't know." Shaking his head, he added, "The second question, and much more importantly, is are you one of the White Knights of Alnaric, or are you simply helping them?"

Lukas looked completely angry, but a part of him looked shocked as well. Risek was fairly certain it was because he couldn't figure out just _how_ Risek had learned all of this. But the Prince had seen it written down as clearly as daylight. Now he wanted answers.

It was then that Lukas tilted his head down, leaning against the desk with a little sigh of breath. Risek thought he might've had a look of disappointment on his face when he'd done so, but suddenly, the blonde Grand Duke looked back up with a smile. "However did you guess that, Risek? I know the Knights confronted you on the fields in Hyrule, but I never would have thought you'd know their true origins. Do Link and Zelda know also?"

Risek's green eyed gaze got as cold as it ever would. His fist clenched, but despite his rage, he shook his head. He didn't want Lukas to know that Link and Zelda also had information on their true identity. Instead, he answered with, "I knew that crest as soon as I saw it. It's shown to those of royal blood as a reminder of atrocities committed by our ancestors, so that we might never repeat them, but the crest is forbidden in all other forms of test and imagery."

Risek then shook his head and waved a hand with the question, "So, what's your plan? Are you the one leading them?"

"Oh no," Lukas shook his head, "you met my lord on the field while I was here ruling in your stead. Though, you might be able to think of me as a higher commanding officer perhaps."

_One of them_, Risek thought, _one of Marcelle's murderers_. _One of the ones after Mirian, and even worse, one of the ones hurting my father_. Risek had to control himself until he had more information, and he gritted out the words, "Why, Lukas? Why are you poisoning my father? Why has he been so sick? Dreamwart alone wouldn't do that. Is it to keep power so that you can take the throne?"

"No, no," Lukas repeated, the word sounding earnest, "we're not trying to _kill_ your father _or_ take his throne, not at all. Only contain him until we can reestablish ourselves. After all, your family has suppressed us for a very, _very_ long time, long enough to forget what power we actually _did_ once have. Your sister? She's not a traitor, simply trying to atone for past sins committed against our Goddesses. She's redeeming herself in their eyes."

Risek sneered over the words, telling Lukas blankly, "The Goddesses would weep to know what you've done."

"Poor, blind Prince," Lukas shook his head, snorting in amusement over what Risek had just sternly told him. "Too self righteous and not humble enough to see the truth. Those men in Newbern? That wasn't murder, Risek, it was purification. All of them had incited revolt, and that is not what we will allow to happen."

"It _was_ murder," Risek told Lukas coldly, his tone infuriated as he continued to speak. "No trial, only words. If one of us is blind Lukas, it's _you_. You tried to murder them, _and_ my best friend! Now you have my father under a deep sleep, and your using others to blame your actions on! You're all twisted!"

With a quaint sigh in the face of Prince Risek's ire, Lukas responded, "I'm sorry you can't see things our way, but perhaps after some time in the dungeon, say a month or so, along with thirty lashes as you know the punishment entails, you might just change your mind. Or, you can change it now, and to avoid public confusion and revolt by an already unstable people questioning their royalty, we can just use Anamirian as a scapegoat. That way, and maybe now you'll understand our reasoning, you don't have to put the people into a tempest of confusion and chaos, wondering why their Prince betrayed them."

Risek continued to glare at Lukas, and despite the fact that he could never allow Anamirian to come to harm, he also knew that the greater good was to keep these Knights from having their way. They already wanted Anamirian for something, and having her in the dungeon would put her in the perfect spot to get it. So he told Lukas without hesitation, "She has _nothing_ to do with this, and you will _not_ harm her. _Why_ are you after her?"

Lukas didn't seem inclined to respond to that question. Instead, he just asked a question in return, "Risek, are you going to allow me to have you arrested properly, or are you going to be difficult."

Lukas had to be out of his mind, Risek thought to himself. Arrest _him_? If anyone, it would be Lukas. Risek had enough evidence to prove that _he_ was the one responsible for this, and had known about the King's illness all along without saying anything.

That thought in mind, he told Lukas, "You're not arresting anyone. I'll be the one to do so. I have enough evidence against you to have you thrown into the dungeon for _two_ lifetimes, along with your brother _and_ your wife," he added, refusing to call Charlain his sister anymore. With a disgusted shake of his head, he added, "You were my friend, your father like my own. What would Arrik think of what you've done?"

Lukas didn't react the way that Risek had thought he would. Instead of realizing the truth and perhaps becoming afraid or angry, he simply started chuckling softly. "My father? Well, he's not here to see any of this currently, but you won't be speaking to him anyway."

"Oh, but I will, Lukas, while you're rotting in shackles."

Smirking, after Risek gave that comment, Lukas sighed softly, "Now Risek, don't be melodramatic. What would happen to Gabriel if he were left to the mercy of the White Knights once I'm gone?"

Lukas didn't remain standing where he was once he threatened Gabriel like that. Instead, he was slammed into the wall behind him, grabbed and shoved by Risek. Glaring up at him, even as Lukas just laughed softly, Risek gritted out the words, "You won't _touch_ him!"

"_I_ won't," Lukas agreed, "but I can't guarantee what our commander will do. Though, I know he wouldn't be pleased with an incarceration befalling one of his best Knights, and believe me, I have no control over what his orders are."

"_Who_ is he!"

"Risek, calm yourself. You're not in a position to make demands. However, _I_ am. Now settle me down and let's deal with this like adults." After making the irritatingly quaint suggestion, Lukas added, "You'd do well to listen to me, after all, you really don't know just how far your Kingdom has already slipped away from you."

Somehow, Risek knew that he was completely right. With Gabriel's life on the line, his father already in their grasp, and who knew what else lurking in the shadows, they had the elder Prince under their thumb completely.

Risek cursed himself inwardly for not sending Gabriel away the moment he knew his sister was up to something. But finally, he allowed himself to lower Lukas back to the floor. Still though, he glared at the man angrily.

Once Lukas was settled down, he dusted himself off as Risek stepped back from him, and then glanced over at him. Confidently folding his arms behind himself once he'd righted his appearance, he told Risek, "You can still have Anamirian blamed for your crimes. If you're so dead set on figuring us all out, then it would do you much more good to be free for the next month, instead of in the dungeon where you can do _nothing_."

Risek didn't even have to think about that. "If you're going to have me arrested, then do so now."

The words seemed to disappoint Lukas. Shaking his head of blonde hair, he sighed out the words, "You're definitely a stubborn one, Prince. I figured as much after your first encounter with our commander though. It doesn't have to be this way, but if you're so insistent, very well then." Once he'd given those lines, he turned his head and called, "Guards!"

Just a moment later, the doors opened and three guards came into the room. When they were all standing there in a neat row, Lukas commanded, "Place Prince Risek Miason under arrest for treason against the crown, and have him taken to the square where he can admit to everyone these acts against his own Kingdom and properly receive his punishment."

The guards did as they were told without question, leaving Risek to wonder if they'd perhaps fallen under the Knight's influence already somehow or another. After all, Lukas had already pointed out that his kingdom had fallen farther away from him than he'd thought. But either way, they began walking toward the Prince in order to disarm him, which he allowed, and then took his arms to be shackled behind his back.

Risek never removed his gaze from Lukas while this went on.

"Lukas, mark my words," he began as they finished shackling him, "those Knights, including you, are going to pay for _everything_. Whatever it is you're after, I promise you, you _won't_ gain it."

Lukas just smiled quaintly, waving a hand at the guards. "Take him away and have the square prepared. In the meantime, we'll just have to corner that chambermaid again, as I'm sure she's already spoken to you over."

Risek glared at Lukas, and had to be tugged along at first. If he could've reached the Grand Duke in that moment, he would've killed him with his bare hands. But finally, when they got him into the hallway, he decided to simply walk with them, jerking his arms away as if to tell them he didn't have to be drug anymore without words.

Lukas simply watched them pulling Risek along, and when they were gone, he couldn't help but smile. This would please their commander endlessly. It didn't matter that the Prince knew the truth. This instance had already been prepared for a good long time ago now. So things were _definitely_ working out well for them.

Now they could search the Palace for the amulet and finally have what they needed.

Mirian watched Risek being walked down the hallway in shackles with an aching heart, wanting to do something, but she knew that anything she did wouldn't make things better, and instead, only worse. Not to mention she'd heard everything. From where she hid in the corridor behind a large set of armor, she peered out, knowing she had to be extremely careful now, otherwise she was going to get hurt, and so was Gabriel. The youngest son of Seriun needed her now, and she couldn't let him down.

Mirian quietly snuck away, a helpless feeling washing through her soul and chilling her. Risek was taking this punishment for her, it was hers to bear, but he was being dragged off to be lashed now.

Mirian didn't think she could ever forgive herself.


	45. Refuge

_Chapter 46 - Refuge_

_Knock knock knock..._

Silence came from the other side of the door at the Inn. When it did, Link knocked once more, and finally asked, "Renard?"

Still nothing. Sighing out a breath, Link looked around, then over at Zelda, pushing her hood back for just a moment.

"What are you doing?," she asked him as he searched her hair above her ear. She was wearing clasps on both sides of her head, simple golden bands, and he gently tugged one of them out.

"Let me borrow this," he replied, smirking at her confused look. Turning, he leaned down and bent the clasp just a bit so that it had a straighter edge than before, then stuck it between the wall and the door, sliding it up slowly until he felt it hit the metal latch at the knob. Zelda watched him carefully as he gripped the knob in his hand, and worked her hair clasp between the door and the hidden latch inside of it, finally prying the wooden frame open.

She blinked a few times as Link stood up straight, holding her clasp back out to her. Reaching up her hand, she asked, "Gerudo?"

Link gave a nod sheepishly, then waved his hand, "Masita, actually."

Zelda remembered that Gerudo in specific and she couldn't help being amused over the thought. "Well, apparently she taught you a great deal."

Link cleared his throat - Masita was the first girl he'd ever been with and he knew that's what Zelda had meant. Rubbing the back of his head as Zelda pulled her hood back up and just smiled at him knowingly, he finally said, "Maybe," quickly and opened the door so that they could go inside. Zelda grinned as she walked inside behind him.

Once there in the somewhat dark room - the sun rising outside giving it a dim light - they glanced over the furniture and saw several maps strewn out across a tabletop, including a few bags filled with supplies which included lanterns and such. Renard had definitely been staying here for a while.

"Renard?," Zelda asked, trying to alert the man as Link shut the door that he had company, not wishing to startle him.

Stepping further inside of the room, Link couldn't stop himself from looking at the table top to see a map that had a familiar landscape upon it - Hyrule - and then Althor to the southeast. But it expanded across the ocean to lands he had no clue even existed. Apparently, the map covered all of the world.

"Zelda, look at this," Link said, his interest pricked. "Renard's been _everywhere_ from what it looks like. I wonder if he drew this himself."

The ink looked as if he may have done just that. Zelda was also very intrigued, and she said, "Hyrule is such a small piece of it. There must be so much we don't know about."

As they looked the map over, they didn't notice that Renard had come up behind them from a room located in the back of the quarters, though Link heard the sword being drawn, and he turned around quickly, moving to cover Zelda as Renard pointed his blade at them.

"What do you two want? Trying to rob me!"

"No, it's not like that at all," Link rushed out in earnest. "You don't need the sword, we've just come to–"

"Don't lie to me boy," Renard warned. "I might be getting up in years, but I'm not a fool. Now get out of here before I call the guards, or run you through myself, whichever comes first."

"Wait, wait," Link stopped him. He got the feeling the only way Renard was going to listen to them was to show him that they were also Hylians. So before more could be said, Link reached up to pull his hood off, revealing his Hylian ears, continuing to hold up his hand toward the middle aged man standing before him.

"No, we don't need money, or anything else, we need the truth. I'm Link, a Knight on the Court of Hyrule."

Renard stared, and then glanced to the woman standing just behind Link. When he did, Link said, "This is the Princess of Hyrule, Zelda. We don't mean you any harm."

When Link introduced her, Zelda removed her own hood, and Renard stood up straight. He looked Zelda's face over, and after a moment, he began, "I'll be. You're the spitting image of Nissandra at that age." He seemed heavily surprised at the both of them. "There haven't been any Hylians in Althor since Ganondorf took the throne." He then glanced back at Link. "You say you're a Knight? Who is your captain?"

"Lyonel. He's my father."

Renard's eyes grew very wide in the space of only a few moments. "Lyonel? The man who married Myriad? Thought he was dead for sure!"

"No, he sort of pretended to be though," Link explained, "to keep himself safe. But he's alive. Still with Myriad also, she's my mother. If you know them, that might be why you thought I seemed familiar."

Renard gave Link a wide eyed stare that Link couldn't quite place the meaning behind, but he said nothing until the man spoke on his own. Renard stepped toward Link, staring at him like he might've been seeing a ghost, and finally he took in a breath, and his face returned to normal.

"Oh, that's part of the reason, lad. The other part is that Myriad is my half sister, which makes me your uncle."

Finally, it was Link's turn to look surprised. Zelda did as well, and Link watched Renard walking to the side of the table while waving his hand, "When did Myriad have a son!," he asked as if he couldn't fathom it.

Link, though still reeling from this revelation, took a deep breath, "It's a long story. She couldn't keep me though, that's why you didn't know. She had to keep her pregnancy secret because of Dragmire."

Renard pursed his lips, the name seeming to put a bitter taste in his mouth somehow. Looking over, he then told Link, "It's not that I suspect you of anything, and I know Dragmire wasn't trustworthy from the letters I managed to get, but I just find this all hard to believe. I'm supposed to be an uncle and I didn't even know it?"

Link looked down at his belt, pushing his cloak back, and then he pulled out the stone his mother had given him, holding it up. "Do you recognize this?"

Renard stared at it, and suddenly, he drew out the words, "Well, I'll be." Slowly beginning to smile at Link, he walked toward him. "You really _are_ her son. Well, that makes this...completely awkward now doesn't it?"

Link grinned, unable to help but agree with that. Once he had though, he asked, "Why didn't Myriad mention you?"

"Ah, she barely knows me," Renard chuckled. "I'm more of a distant friend than a brother. I was a grown man by the time she was born, out on my own, traveling. My father died when I was a little boy. Mother raised me the best that she could, and when I was older, she wed a man she'd met and fell in love with, claiming that she didn't want me to feel obligated to stay and take care of her when I had aspirations I wanted to follow. After a short while I left, and was gone so long that by the time I came back, she was pregnant, close to giving birth."

Listening to the story, Zelda looked at Link and back to Renard again, actually seeing a bit of family resemblance between them, especially with the hair color. But she was curious, and so she asked, "Where did you go?"

"All over," Renard replied, "I'm not content to stick to just one place for long. Been everywhere that I know of. I wanted to map everything I could, always been curious about how big the world might be and what's out there in it." He smiled at Zelda, then looked back at Link. "I have to say, I'd heard of things in Hyrule during my travels, horrible stories," he shook his head, "until recently. Couldn't do much myself being so far away though," he sighed. "But it's good to know that Myriad is well...isn't she?"

"Fine," Link nodded, "if you'd like," he held up the stone, "you can speak with her."

With a warm smile, Renard held up a hand to decline the offer for now. "Maybe later, not that I'm not anxious, but I've only spoken with her three times in her life in person, written letters aside from that." Turning, he put his now sheathed sword down against the wall, and stood up straight again, heading back to the table.

"Besides, you two came to me for something entirely different, didn't you? You asked me about Bowe back in the tavern, so I can only assume that you're both trying to help the group hidden in the woods beyond Thicket Moore, right?"

Now this was definitely what they'd come for. "Thicket Moore?," Zelda asked.

"Yes. Come on, let's sit down and talk." When Renard suggested it, he waved a hand at the table where the maps were and pulled out a chair.

Link went over and took one of them also, motioning for Zelda before he sat in his own. Once they were all settled around the wooden table, Renard started, "Thicket Moore is where Bowe went. Left me behind incase someone came looking for him. But I don't trust just anyone these days, especially not after what Bowe told me. I knew I had to be selective of who I let in on his secret, otherwise a lot of people would get hurt. So that's why I lied at the tavern."

Listening, Link asked, "Then you know about the White Knights?"

"Yes," Renard nodded, "I've picked up a good bit of detail from different people who've seen and heard different things. Anyway, I have a map, actually I have several, that will lead you to Thicket Moore. It's a forest located on the other side of Newbern Glen, about ten miles west of the town just outside of the Meley Province of the Kingdom. Bowe took the people there to hide them because the forest is dense and hard to traverse. Not to mention it's bordered by the sea on the east, and the mountains to the south, so it's nicely fortified."

Link and Zelda took this in, looking at one another. "If we want to go," Zelda started, "we'll have to get transportation."

"I've got a wagon, and I'm not against traveling," Renard offered. "Bowe told me it would take longer on a wagon to get there, but if you need a guide," he smirked, "I'm good with directions."

Link smiled, glancing back at his newfound uncle, glad they'd run into him. "Actually, we'd like that, but we can't accept."

"Why not?"

It was Zelda who answered, folding her hands together in her lap before she told Renard, "We're fugitives of Althor. Guards will be looking for us."

"Fugitives?"

When Renard asked the question, Link gave him the story, finishing with the line, "You'd be taken in if you were caught for aiding us."

Scratching his chin, Renard suddenly shrugged. "I think it's a risk worth taking to not only aide my Princess, who's _innocent_ by the way, but also my nephew. I might not be about often, and you may not have met me because I like to travel so much, but we're family anyway. Don't want you going off and getting yourself killed because you got lost when I could've easily taken you there myself."

Link grinned at him, unable to help it. Even though he'd never met the man before today, he was grateful that his Uncle was as caring as he seemed to be so far. "We'll think about it. Right now we're not going anywhere though, not until we're a little more sure of how Risek will be able to handle things on his own."

"Risek? The Prince?"

Nodding his head, Link sat back a bit and settled his hand on the table top comfortably. "Risek found out that Charlain is poisoning King Seriun. Mother said it had to be Dreamwart, which isn't lethal unless you know how to use it." That's when Link remembered what Myriad had said specifically. She'd told him she knew someone who'd traveled to Althor before, and he suddenly glanced at his Uncle with a knowing smile, "You're the one who told her that, aren't you?"

"Probably," Renard smirked. "I wrote so many letters, I probably mentioned a million things in them. But Myriad is clever, and her memory is sharp as a blade." Considering it all, Renard added, "She'd be right though, I mean, if it's Dreamwart. It's only lethal if you take too much of it at once, but even then, it has to be mixed down with the right ingredients, otherwise it doesn't work at all. Good news though would be that if that's why the King has been asleep, then to wake him, you just stop giving it to him."

"That is good news," Link agreed, "but the problem would be stopping them. If Zelda and I approach the Palace, they'll try to throw us in the dungeon."

"Aye," Renard gave with a nod. "This why you're sticking around? You said something about Risek."

"Well," Link began, "we came to visit Althor with Risek to try to help him discover who was behind the White Knights of Alnaric. The only person Risek has in the Palace now that could do _anything_ about his sister is Lukas, and he's not completely sure he can trust him."

"I see, the Grand Duke of Meley, hmm. He's married to Charlain, isn't he?"

Both of them nodded in response to Renard's question, and the older Hylian sighed. "Doesn't sound good then. Maybe you're right. Risek might need a little extra help." Pushing himself up, Renard asked them if they were thirsty, and they declined while he tugged a jug of water up in order to poor himself a glass.

As the liquid trickled down from the jar, Renard told them both, "You two should probably stay here and out of sight. I can go back to Blue Rose for you and ask around for details." Settling the jug back down onto the counter, he turned to face them and took a drink. "Does no one good if you get caught, you know."

Link smirked, and he started relating a few tales to the man with Zelda's help of the things that the both of them had been through. In hearing about it, Renard guessed maybe they weren't in as much danger as he'd thought, and they ended up chatting for quite some time about those types of stories.

By the time they were done, Renard knew the truth about Ganondorf and what had happened in the Sacred Realm with his sister. Renard hadn't known specifically, and though he'd gathered she'd gone to the Sacred Realm, details were hard to gather after that. He explained that he'd had little idea for these last years what was what, especially since no one ever said that Myriad had died or been killed. It had simply been as if no one knew for sure.

Now that Renard knew though, he seemed very willing to help them out. He eventually conversed with Myriad as well, using the stone that Link had, and Myriad seemed very happy to hear from him again. She apologized to Link about never mentioning her brother, but she hadn't been sure she'd ever see him again.

She also seemed relieved to know that Renard could help the two of them, and once the conversation ended, Renard assured Myriad that they would meet face to face soon, which she said she would very much enjoy.

Removing his hand from the stone, Renard looked at Link and Zelda, having found a new respect for them over the time they'd talked with one another, knowing that if they'd been able to save Hyrule, then Althor should have been a synch.

With those encouraging thoughts in mind, he told them both, "If Bowe comes back to the tavern, I'll bring him here immediately. But maybe I should go for now in order to see what I can find out."

It was then that they heard some commotion going on outside, and they looked over at the window. Standing up, Renard told them to stay there while he went to see what was going on. Looking outside and at the streets below, he saw some people walking while off in the distance, from the high vantage point he had, he could see the Town Square being prepared for something in specific it looked. So he did what anyone might do and went downstairs to ask around.

While he was gone, Link also went to the window, though he made sure not to just stick his head right out where anyone could see him, a bad feeling gnawing at his gut over what might've been going on for some reason.

Zelda stood right behind him, and quietly, she said, "It looks like a public announcement is going to be made."

When she said that, the door opened behind them and Renard stepped back inside. His expression was a bit grim, and both of them got curious over it.

"There's going to be a...an announcement. I overheard someone saying they heard that the culprit who let the two of you loose has been found and is going to be punished. But they also said they're not completely sure if that's the truth. It will be announced soon."

Zelda turned worried eyes up at Link who looked a little angry, hoping it wasn't Mirian they were planning on punishing. Risek wouldn't let that happen, would he?

"Link, what if it's someone who had nothing to do with it? We can't just let them punish someone innocent." Zelda asked.

Link breathed in, shaking his head. "I can't let you be put into danger, regardless of who it might be. That's my first duty, Zelda." Link looked over at Renard then, asking, "What's a public punishment involve?"

Renard shook his head in thought, "Depends on the crime. Althor no longer holds public execution, or anything too severe, but if the crime is bad enough, it could be a public lashing." Looking back at Link, seeing that the Knight didn't like the sound of it, Renard shook his head, "Neither of you are going anywhere. If it _is_ someone innocent, you'll have to weigh their need against the need of an entire kingdom."

Link looked unconvinced. Turning to Zelda, he said, "I could turn myself in if it's someone innocent, in exchange for releasing them."

"But then you'd have to tell them who let you out, and they'd ask you where I was as well. You know the White Knights could control you to tell them the truth also."

Link turned, an angry expression on his face. Zelda put her hand on his shoulder when she saw the ire in his blue eyes, and pulled him to the side so that she could speak to him alone, asking Renard politely to excuse them for just a moment. Once standing away, she looked up at Link and said, "Renard might be right in this instance. I don't think I could stand the thought of someone innocent suffering because of us, but there _is_ much more at stake here."

"I know," Link nodded. "I can't imagine anyone being lashed for this though. If it's Mirian," he shook his head, unable to figure what to say exactly. She was such a small woman, Zelda's size, and seeing her being lashed? That...Link just couldn't imagine it.

"Link, Princess," came Renard's voice just after that. "You're...not going to believe this."

"What?," Link asked, making his way over to look outside.

When he did, and Renard let him see, Link's eyes went wide. Though they couldn't hear what was being said, they could see who it was that was going to be punished. Neither one of them liked what they saw either.

It wasn't Mirian - thankfully - but Risek who was being pulled up onto the platform. Lukas was speaking to the audience who looked completely astounded now.

This wasn't good at all.


	46. Punishment

_Chapter 47 - Punishment_

The drums were beaten down upon as the time came at hand. Those sounds signaled to the people that there was an event being held in the town square, and several started to gather. Lukas stepped onto the upraised platform, and he stood before the people as they looked on. Guards flanked the area, two standing beside their prisoner who was being held where no one could see him just yet to prevent too much confusion too soon.

Loudly, Lukas began to speak to the crowd gathered about the square in announcement to them all. "Good citizens. I have a sad announcement to make to you this afternoon. Last night, suspects in the attack of our crown Prince escaped the Palace. Further investigation suggested that they were aided, and while we've yet to recover these fugitives, we _have_ found the person responsible for this infraction."

While his voice rang out, in one of the windows in the Palace, Mirian appeared, looking down onto the scene from a sitting room window. Pushing it open so she could hear the words spoken, she clenched her fists while she stared at Lukas in anger. Things didn't have to be this way, but Lukas was power hungry, and she knew he would stop at nothing to get Risek out of the way.

This whole punishment would be icing on the cake, making Risek look bad to the citizens, and Mirian knew there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

As his words went on, she listened, unknowingly right along with the hidden Link and Zelda in Renald's room a few blocks away, five floors up, overlooking the spectacle even though they were a bit out of earshot. Some words still managed to echo to them, but they were hard to discern.

"You'll probably be highly shocked at this revelation, so I want you all to be prepared," Lukas went on. "This is a necessary punishment though, one in accord with the laws set forth by the Kingdom and it's crown."

Lukas looked back once he'd given those words, and told the guards on a normal voice, "Bring out the traitor."

Zelda gasped softly when she saw Risek being brought up onto the platform, and she heard Link asking, "What?," in complete disbelief. Placing her hand on his arm, she watched intently as Risek was brought forward with two guards flanking his sides, presented to the people who were also gasping in their shock.

"Prince Risek Miason has admitted to me that, this morning, he suggested the fugitives leave, without first receiving acquittal from my Father or his. He gave them the means to do just that very thing as well."

Lukas grew quiet for only a moment, letting everyone take in his words before he finished, "Such an act is considered to be treason upon the crown, and for such an act, thirty lashes is rewarded, followed by a month to be spent in the dungeon."

While everyone gasped in their shock over the words, Lukas turned around to face the one accused. Wind had picked up a bit, promising the potential storm later in the day, and the chatter of the people could be heard carried across it in the short silence.

Lukas's eyes met Risek's, and without any hint of backing down from his position, he asked, "Prince Risek, is there anything you would like to say before we carry out your punishment?"

Risek was silent as he stood there, arms shackled before him, his black hair getting caught up in the wind blowing overhead. Slowly, he looked up at the people who were staring, _his_ people, reminding himself that he was serving them by appearing to them in this fashion. They all looked completely surprised and unsure, apparently unknowing what to think. He couldn't blame them at all. Lukas had been a friend, Charlain was his sister, and now?

He held nothing against Link or Zelda, but now he had to put his faith in two who weren't even of his own kind to set things right. It shamed him to know as much.

Mirian's eyes burned with tears, and she begged him in her head to tell them the truth. Was she so scared she couldn't throw herself into all of this and tell them that she was the real reason Link and Zelda had escaped herself? Even if it wasn't true, she couldn't stand this. Would they believe her? Could she convince them if she tried such a thing?

Unwitting of her thoughts, Risek cast a piercing gaze at Lukas from behind the raven hair flying into his face, nothing but contempt settled in the green hues, and he said the words clearly and plainly for all to hear, "Only that I am guilty of this crime and await the punishment set for me."

"We have to do something," Link told Zelda softly. "He did _nothing_ wrong!"

Zelda shook her head, watching the scene while she told Link, "No one did anything wrong. If someone needs to be lashed, then that would be Charlain and Gerild. And even if we could stop this, if we appear and save him," Zelda sighed out her breath softly, finishing her words, "it will make him look even worse in the eyes of his people."

She was right, and the that truth just angered Link even more. "Then we have to stand here and watch him be whipped needlessly. Does Lukas actually think Risek would betray his own father?"

"Lukas is in on this," Zelda spoke certainly. "Whatever happened that brought this upon Risek was definitely instigated, more than likely by Lukas himself, especially since he outranks the Prince."

"To get the people to turn against Risek," Link finished for her, his brows narrowing as he'd also figured it out at the same time she'd spoken the words. "He reminds me of Ganondorf."

"Well, at least Ganondorf had the decency to be honest about his lust for power," Zelda drew out blandly. "Lukas has hidden behind it all of this time."

"True enough," Link thought aloud, looking at the scene in the Town Square as the stage was set for the public punishment. With a sigh, he added, "I just hope Risek can forgive us for this."

One of the guards undid Risek's shackles after he made his comment and turned him to face the second who stood before him. That guard then reached up to remove his blue tunic by the clasps along the front of the garment. Risek rolled his eyes however and reached for the tunic himself before the man could get it undone, pulling it open and shoving it off of his arms with a jerk to the floor, uncaring that he was shirtless in front of so many people. He just wanted to get this over with.

But despite his indifference, Lukas was surprised to see that his back was already marked by the lash of a whip, unsure where the Prince might have been given the treatment before, but it made him look as if he'd already committed some type of treason against Althor.

So, the handsome Prince had his mars after all. Lukas could hear some people chattering away about the sight in the crowds, and he smirked because they all sounded disapproving of the situation, as well as shocked.

This pleased Lukas immensely. Things were going so well now.

Mirian, as she watched, could see those scars from where he was, and her lips parted in confusion. What had happened to him? Marcelle never told her any stories about Risek being lashed before, and she could only imagine where the scars had come from.

Maybe that was why he hadn't seemed particularly afraid of his punishment when they'd taken him off earlier.

Turning, Risek placed his hands on the wooden beam freely, furthering proving aside from his currently indifferent appearance that he was unafraid of whatever might be about to happen, the guard staring at him from ahead looking a bit surprised.

But that guard finally sighed and reached up to tie Risek's wrists down even though he'd placed them there freely. Link, from the window of the Inn, narrowed his brows, putting his arm around Zelda's shoulder when he felt her shiver, and he pulled her closer.

"Don't look, Zelda."

"I have to. If I don't, I'll be turning my back on him, and he's suffering because of our actions."

Link sighed, having had a feeling she would say that. "Then let me watch. I don't want you to see this."

Zelda compromised with him, turning her head to place against his shoulder, but she could still see from the corner of her eyes. Her face was one of tremendous sorrow, and Link's was one of complete anger. Especially when he saw the man wielding the whip walking over and lifting his arm to let the long lash fall out completely straight.

In those few moments, they both knew they would find the ones behind the crimes being committed and make them all answer for them.

Mirian's tears had began streaming down her cheeks. When Risek had gone to the beam, she'd turned to the door, knowing she couldn't live with herself if she didn't try to stop this. But she heard the lash of the whip and came to a stop, torn now, not wanting to leave Risek in such a position for even a moment alone. When the whip hit a second time as she'd looked out the window again, she cringed like she might've been the one to have felt the pain dealt, and for all intents and purposes, she felt she should have been.

She couldn't stop blaming herself. No, she had to go, didn't she?

The lashes were moderately placed apart, enough to let the sting of the first draw out without dying before it was recharged with the whip of the next. Risek held his tongue, silent during those first lashes, his teeth bearing together, the snap into his back making him jolt as he gripped the wooden beam tightly. He would hold out for as long as he could. While making a stand to show that he wouldn't allow anyone he loved to be hurt, he wouldn't allow those doing this to him to fully hear his pain.

While this went on, Mirian didn't notice that Gabriel had come into the room in which she'd been standing, and his curious blue eyes went to her to see that she was silently crying. Walking over to an adjacent window, the young Prince looked outside to see why.

As he scanned the crowds and was drawn up to the event they were all staring at, his lips parted and his eyes went wide. He couldn't contain himself.

"_**Risek**_!," he suddenly yelled, which drew Mirian's attention quickly before he went running to the door.

"Gabriel, no!," she yelled and chased after him, catching his arm before he could leave the room.

"Let me go! They're hurting him!"

"Gabriel, you have to stay here, it will only cause more trouble to go out there!"

Gabriel struggled with her, eager to get to his older brother and stop them when they finally heard an anguished yell. The sound stopped them both for a moment, and Gabriel changed his direction, running back toward the window in order to look outside again.

Hearing Risek's yell of pain again, the elder Prince unable to hold his tongue any longer as the number of lashes drew up past twenty, tears began to sting his little brother's eyes. "_Stop it_! _Stop it now_!," Gabriel yelled at everyone through the open window, loudly enough that he drew some people's attentions, including Lukas, and from a differing section of the Palace, Charlain's and Gerild's.

Mirian grabbed Gabriel a second time, glad that instead of running away, he turned to her and hugged her tightly, asking, "Why are they doing this!"

Mirian was quiet, hearing Risek's anguished cries as the lashes drew on tearing her heart to pieces. In turn, Risek had also heard his little brother in the middle of it all, gasping out, "Gabriel...," before another lash got his undying attention yet again, hoping he'd just been hearing things. If Gabriel was witnessing this, that would be his only regret of taking these lashes.

No, he wouldn't regret it. As hard as it was to teach some lessons, this one would have to be one of them - the lesson that you had to strand true to what you stood for, no matter what the payment demanded. Still, Risek couldn't consider any of it just then, the bite of pain he felt distracting him completely.

The last one was always the worst. Once might think the pain would eventually make you numb, but it just wasn't so. The whip tore flesh away so that untouched flesh could be dug into beneath it. His back was red and bleeding now with lacerations in his tender skin, the stinging whip slicing across that swelling plain of flesh without remorse just as the rest had. Risek had fallen to his knees, hanging by his tied wrists now still attached to the beam above him, the relief of no longer being lashed not coming soon enough.

Panting, feeling as if he could barely move, he was only partially aware that guards were untying his hands until he fell face first onto the wooden platform in the Square they were standing on before they began to lift him up, cringing at any jarring made to his back along the way. He was pulled up by both arms, his weight completely on the guards who held him now.

Being turned to face Lukas, he was blacking out, but still aware, the last words he heard were, "Now take him to spend his month in the dungeons. There he may learn his lesson."

They drug the newly unconscious Prince off and Lukas watched. Clouds had gathered in the sky, thunder sounding in the distance, and Lukas looked up to see his wife and his brother in the window. Charlain stared back down, then looked across the way where her little brother's voice had been heard before. Without question, she turned around and left the room. Gerild said nothing, and didn't look one bit remorseful.

Link sneered as he watched them dragging the Prince off, and with a sigh of breath, he turned more to Zelda and put his arm around her, knowing she'd been crying. "Zelda, we can't let him stay in the dungeon for a month. While he's in there, Lukas will take over completely. We have to get him out. At least that way, not everyone will see it and we'll be less likely to get killed, or start a war between Hyrule and Althor."

Zelda knew he was right. Helping him escape his imprisonment might not make him look any less guilty, but at least it wouldn't be in front of everyone. Lifting her head up, she told him, "We should wait until tonight when it's darker, or this evening anyway."

Renard, who was just as effected by what he'd seen as his nephew and princess, listened to what they were saying, and he turned to face them. "You're going to invade the Palace itself?"

"We have to," Link told his uncle, looking over at him from where he'd hugged his fiancee. "We also have to get Gabriel and Mirian. If we don't, they're all in danger. Risek has something that will aide us all anyway."

"What is that?," Renard asked curiously.

Looking down, Zelda leaning against him turning her face up to his, Link looked her over before he replied, "The Triforce of Power."

In the Palace while the unseen Link and Zelda were making their plans, Mirian had dropped down onto her knees in front of Gabriel. She had to make an apology to him, knowing he didn't completely understand what had just happened. But, with this being her fault, she had to do everything she could to atone for it.

"I'm so sorry, Gabriel, this is all my fault. Lukas found one of my keys were missing, which Link and Zelda used to escape because I gave it to them. Before anything could happen though, your brother stepped in and took all of the blame onto himself for Link and Zelda's escape. He made them punish him instead of me."

Gabriel stared at her, his blue eyes filled with tears, and he asked after a moment, "They were going to do that to _you_?"

Mirian nodded, "Yes, because they were looking for someone to blame."

"But you're a girl."

"That doesn't matter, Gabriel, anyone who breaks the law deserves punishment."

Gabriel frowned, looking back at the window, his expression thoughtful, saying, "But Risek didn't break any laws! He's not a traitor!"

"I know, Gabriel, I know. And I'm so sorry for causing this to happen." Mirian said the words as earnestly as she possibly could, tears falling down her cheeks again. "I'm so sorry."

"No," Gabriel shook his head, looking back over at her. "You didn't cause this. Lukas did, because he's the one who said to do it. He didn't have to."

"That's true," Mirian agreed softly. "But we can't say anything to him. It's his decision to make, whether we think it's right or wrong. For now, we both have to stay silent, alright?"

Gabriel got a look on his young face that said he was angry, and he turned to storm off. Mirian pushed herself up, taking his shoulder quickly with the words, "Wait, please tell me where you're going so I don't worry."

"To my room," he replied, "I want to be by myself for a little while."

"Alright," she nodded, wiping her cheeks and releasing his shoulder. "Should I come by later?"

"Yes," Gabriel returned, but that was all he said, rightfully upset and moving to the door quickly before running down the hallway, past his sister who he ignored when she said his name.

"Leave me alone!," Gabriel yelled at her, and Charlain stood up straight, staring after him for a moment. Turning her head to the side, she looked at the door from which he'd come to see Mirian stepping into the hallway. When she did, Charlain lifted her head back and turned around completely.

"You let him witness his brother's punishment?"

Mirian, worn from the events of the day, wearily shook her head no. "He was supposed to be in his room on the other side of the Palace working on his studies, and was there the last I'd looked in on him. He snuck out and I didn't catch him in time to stop him."

Charlain raised a single brow, then waved a hand, "If this is true, then I no longer want you keeping an eye on him. I'll have the duties you'd taken up with him assigned to someone else."

Hearing this, Mirian steadily withheld her tears, replying, "As you wish, Your Majesty." After all, now wasn't the time for an argument, and even if she _did_ argue, she knew she'd get nowhere.

Charlain gave a nod, pleased with the quick agreement, then stepped in closer, apparently not finished with what she had to tell the chambermaid. "After what's happened, Risek will need some tending to. You're well versed in medicines, so I think you should go see to his wounds once he's been placed in the dungeon."

"I'll do so right away, Miss," Mirian told the Princess, asking her in addition, "Will there be anything more?"

"Not for now. You may see to your duties."

Nodding, Mirian walked on. She tried to keep her pace even, but she hurried nonetheless, wanting away from the stuck up Princess as soon as possible, especially after overhearing what Charlain had been up to with her own father.

Things, Mirian felt in that moment, couldn't possibly get any darker, but she feared they would. While she headed down the corridor, Charlain stepped out of the room behind her, watching the maid for a few moments.

Anamirian was the next on their list.


	47. Love and Honor

_Chapter 48 - Love and Honor_

Risek's eyes slowly opened, everything blurry as he lay on the bed quietly. The room was cold, drafty, and completely uncomfortable, but even still, he was fully aware of a warmth behind him, a soothing touch to his back, and a cool trickle of water across the sting of the lashes he'd received.

He wondered how long he'd been out since his punishment, his muscles tense and aching, green eyes struggling to stay open before he passed out once more. But the constant tending to continued to wake him little by little, and he heard a song being hummed that he knew the sound of by heart.

The words played in his head while they were hummed out, and Risek remembered hearing it on other occasions. He didn't have to look now to know who it was settled behind him, and softly he whispered, "Mirian."

The movement he felt across his skin stopped, and he heard a soft gasp at the same time that it happened. With the sound, he tried to lift his arm in order to push himself over weakly, but a hand lay against his shoulder and her voice sounded, "No, lay still. It's me. You just startled me, I thought you were asleep."

In hearing the words, Risek obeyed her wishes to stay still for the moment and let his arm rest, about to ask her to come around so he could see her when she asked before he could speak, "How did you know it was me?"

He knew how gentle she was aside from the song, he thought, remembering a wish he'd had once. He'd hoped that if he were ever ill, she'd be the one to care for him, and he wondered how strange it was that she would be here to do so in a time like this. As he thought about it, his eyes closed slowly before he responded to her question.

"The song you were humming." With a deep breath, he went on, "You sang it to Marcelle when he was sick."

"Oh," she whispered, drawing some ointment she'd taken into the dungeon across one of the lashes, which in turn made him cringe just a slight bit, hurting at first, but then the pain stopped altogether. It actually began to feel soothing once the sting stopped.

"Sorry," she said when she felt him tense. Then she went on, her voice soft, almost shy sounding, "Maybe now isn't the time to say so, but you took those lashes for me. I can't stand the thought of letting you suffer for that. When they said to only use water and clothe as a part of the punishment, I absolutely refused. So I snuck in a little ointment for you."

He was glad she did. Though he knew it wasn't healed by any means, the relief the ointment was giving him was definitely a welcome one. Risek almost felt he didn't have the strength to even move in that moment, let alone turn his head so that he could see her.

With the thought, he admitted, "I'd take the lashes again if I had to. You don't need to worry over it. Come around so I can see you."

Mirian bit her bottom lip. She wasn't sure she really wanted to, but mostly because she felt ashamed that he'd done this for her, didn't even think she could look at him. Even still, she couldn't refuse him. Standing and walking around quietly, she took the vial of medicine she'd been using with her, the clothe she carried in her opposite hand, and she settled herself onto her knees on the opposite side of the bed where he could see her like he'd asked.

When she settled down next to the small bed on her knees in the same manner she'd done on the opposite side, she started to dab the clothe with the ointment again, and Risek watched her silently. She'd pulled her hair down to rest across her back in long, red curls, instead of pinned into a bun as she usually wore it during the daytime while performing her duties. Risek stared at her, couldn't help himself. She was gorgeous, and anyone who'd ever said anything bad about her red hair was simply extremely jealous. To him, no greater beauty existed than hers, not even Princess Zelda's.

"I missed you."

The suddenly spoken words made Mirian glance over at him in uncertainty. Having dabbed the clothe again, finishing a little bit of the ministrations she'd been giving him, she wasn't sure just quite how to respond to those words. Lifting the clothe up and waiting to ask him anything until after she'd used more of the ointment on him, she finally gave the only question she could think of.

"What do you mean?"

Risek took a deep breath once the pain stopped, then replied, "When I was in Hyrule with the diplomats." He knew what he was saying, but currently, he didn't care. If he couldn't say this, then there was no point in recovering from the wounds he had now at all. "I missed you, Mirian."

Why was he saying this? Mirian wasn't sure, but she couldn't help but busy herself with tending to his wounds to distract herself from what she wanted to reply to him with, to tell him that she missed him too, and instead began saying as casually as she could muster, "I'm sorry. We missed you too, my–"

She stopped suddenly when his hand took her wrist, and she stared at it, noticing the size differences briefly before she looked up and watched him turning in order to sit up. Mirian shook her head and tried to tell him to stay still, but he didn't listen.

Zelda was right. Risek wasn't sure how he knew it, but he did. The blush when he'd told her he'd missed her, the way she'd busied herself after he'd said the words - it was the same after Marcelle died. She wanted to distract herself from her feelings, and that was exactly what she was doing now.

Zelda said she thought Mirian cared for him, told him to _take it from a woman who's been there_. Zelda knew the signs, and now that Risek was paying full attention, had told her a portion of how he'd felt, he could see it too.

Still holding her wrist, he pushed himself off of the bed and down onto the floor next to her, watching her while she kept her head bowed, completely unable to look at him. In seeing her shyness, Risek also understood exactly what she was hiding, and knew she was hiding it because she'd gotten so used to doing so.

Because he was a Prince, and she was just a servant, the same reason he'd also denied himself. They were supposed to be from different worlds.

But he couldn't, not anymore, and now that he knew so much more than he had before, he wasn't going to. In fact, he completely refused.

"Risek," he said to remind her of what he'd told her the other day. "Don't call me a Prince when we're alone. I'll keep having to remind you, won't I?"

His voice had been gentle, and Mirian shook her head in response. "Only now because I feel I owe you so much for what you've done for me."

"You didn't ask, I just did so." Still holding her wrist, he used his free hand to reach for her chin in order to tilt her face up to his. The movement made her heartbeat still, and her throat go dry. So she jerked on her arm in his grasp and tried to turn away, but he wasn't having it. Instead, he wrapped that arm around her waist as she tried to move and pulled her back, which made her gasp somewhat loudly.

Though it had pained him to move the way he just had, he didn't stop until she was settled against him. With a deep breath of effort, he whispered, "Don't leave me, Mirian, stay here. Besides, I'm wounded, so just be still. It's harder to catch you when I'm like this."

He felt her trembling, and it made him close his eyes in sorrow. He knew exactly what he wanted to say though, so he simply went on. "I should have told you so long ago how I truly felt." That line made her stiffen completely, and he added, "But I didn't, for the very reasons you hide it."

Her whimper didn't fall on deaf ears, and Mirian, though she felt warmer than she thought she ever had with his arms around her and her cheeks on fire with a blush simultaneously, couldn't help also feeling very bad and scared, even when he made her feel safe. How had he guessed! Had he sensed her emotions? Not Risek, he was far too polite in those respects. But still, how could he know!

Quietly, she whispered in shock, "How...how did you...did you know that?"

Against her ear, he whispered, "Zelda told me because she felt it would be the best thing for you, because you had no one, and she was right. Or you felt you had no one. But you have me, and I know you've made yourself think of me as your Prince and that alone, but right now, Mirian," he sighed out her name, shaking his head slowly. "Right now I'm just a weak, tired man. Right now I'm worn, and I need you," he stopped for a moment to take a breath. "More than anything. I love you, and that will never stop."

Tears had started streaming down her cheeks over the words, her hands clutching his wrists tightly, and she felt him burying his face against the crook of her neck, which made her draw out his name on a raspy breath, sent shivers through her. She couldn't stop trembling, her heart pounding, and she shook her head slowly in response to the chaos of emotions welling up within her.

"Risek, please don't say that. I can't be hurt anymore or I'll break. I lost my father, my brother, and if I hear this only to know it can never be, it will kill me. I feel guilty already with what you've been through for me, and it shouldn't have had to be that way."

"Mirian," he drew out against her jaw, lifting his head, "sense my feelings now and tell me how it can never be."

She shook her head, too scared to. When she did, he requested it as if he needed her to, "Do that for me."

Unable to do anything else when he asked that way, she let herself give in, and in return, felt the swell of admiration and love he had for her through the emphatic senses Althorians all possessed. It made her sob out a breath, and she slowly turned, careful not to jar his back and instead, placed her hands on his shoulders as she stayed right where she was against him.

"Risek, why is it all so unfair?"

"I don't know," he whispered, holding her as tightly as he could in his condition, "but I do know that I can't stand the thought of being with anyone else, nor the thought of anyone else having you. If I can't be with you, then I won't be with anyone. I'll find some way to make this work, even if I have to renounce the Throne."

"No!," she gasped and sat back to look up at him seriously, "No, Althor needs you, now more than ever, Risek. You've already sacrificed enough, and I'm not...I'm really not worthy of that."

"I don't care," he replied, "and never say that. You are, and Althor needs me, but I need _you_. Otherwise I won't be able to serve Althor as I should."

Seeing him, looking into his eyes as he said that, made her tears well up again, and she lowered her head. "Don't say that."

"Why not?"

"Because I love hearing it almost as much as I love you. And it makes me feel selfish. You're right, I do love you, and I have for a long time. But why would I deserve you? I _have_ to be selfless in this instance."

He released his breath as if he'd been holding it in for years when he heard her saying those three words. Reaching, he drug her back toward himself and pressed his hand against the back of her head, murmuring her name softly. He should've listened to Link sooner, he thought in that moment, the Hylian being completely right when he'd told Risek in Hyrule that there really was nothing to life unless you fought for what you loved and cherished the most.

That was why the Throne had always seemed so empty to him. It stood in the way of what he loved. Yes, he loved his father and his Kingdom, but...he'd come to love her more. Having her here now, even as bruised as he was, he felt completely content, and wanted nothing more at all.

He was sorry he'd ever disliked the Hylian at _all_. Link was definitely a good friend to have.

"You're not selfish, Mirian." Risek told her that while he rested his cheek against her head. "If you are, then I'm the exact same as you. I didn't ask to fall in love with you, and you didn't ask to either. We've both tried to do what has been said to be right, but I refuse to do that anymore, because it's not. Living a lie isn't right, and I was willing to take Zelda's hand in marriage and do just that. Because of duty. But we have a greater duty to ourselves. If I don't serve that duty as well as Althor, then what's...," he took another breath, "what's the point?"

Mirian found herself resting against him completely, her eyes closed, still trembling because of what they were saying, but unable to move anywhere. She had no idea he felt this way, but hearing it was somehow like a release. Despite the trouble brewing about them, the storm didn't seem too hard to weather if she had him to anchor to, and she felt content.

That was, until she realized after a quiet moment just how cold his skin felt, and the state he was in came crashing back to her.

Lifting her head, she told him as sternly as she could muster, "You need to lay back down and rest." Her eyes wandered up to his finally, and she saw him smiling warmly at her. Mirian couldn't remember the last time she'd seen that, and she blushed hotly, looking away again. "Don't look at me like that."

"Why not?"

"You're smiling."

"Is my smile offensive?," he asked in some slight confusion, as well as amusement.

"No, it's handsome, and it makes it hard for me to think clearly. Now get back on the bed and lay down."

His smile wouldn't be wiped away now even if she'd begged him to, and he did as she'd asked, moving to sit on the side of the old mattress, though he didn't lay back down, unsure he felt like it even though he wasn't in the best condition. The mattress wasn't helping anyway.

Mirian moved to sit next to him, and she turned and looked toward the doorway into the room, trying to make sure the soldiers weren't returning for her soon.

When Risek noticed, he asked, "Are they coming to fetch you?"

"Probably soon, yes."

"And you're worried."

"Are you sensing my feelings?" She asked him curiously, giving him a shyly inquisitive gaze.

"No," he shook his head, "I can tell by the way you fidget with your skirt. You've always wrung it in your hands since you were a child whenever you became anxious."

Mirian hadn't realized that, but surely enough, she caught herself doing it now, and she watched him putting his hand over hers. When he did, she smiled a slight bit, remembering just how well Risek actually did know her. Turning her eyes up after a moment, she saw a bit of redness on his skin when she gazed at his arm, and felt badly all over again for what he'd done for her.

But she had to ask him something. "Risek, when were you lashed before? Marcelle never mentioned anything to me."

Risek looked at her briefly, the explained the events aboard the Siren when they'd been boarded by Pirates. "Marcelle never told you because I asked him not to. I didn't want anyone to needlessly worry over me. It wasn't as bad as some people tended to think."

Hearing this, knowing Risek was honorable anyway, she gave him a nod and a sweet smile, then turned to look down. So much bad had happened to him since he'd returned from Hyrule, and he didn't deserve any of it. She wanted to make it stop, and she wanted him, and Gabriel as well, both to be happy again. Thinking of Gabriel as well made her frown with what Charlain had demanded two hours ago before she'd come down to tend to Risek.

Seeing the expression, the Prince asked her, "What's wrong?"

Mirian took in her breath, "Charlain doesn't want me to watch Gabriel anymore because he snuck away from his room during your punishment and saw you being lashed."

She felt Risek's grip tighten on her hands when she'd told him what was wrong. Reaching up, she settled her free hand over his somewhat hesitantly, looking up to his face. He looked pained, but not because of his back or the wounds there. It was the expression in his eyes that told her it was an emotional hurt.

"I'm sorry, Risek. I tried to stop him, but...he was too upset."

"No, it's not Gabriel. It's my sister, this betrayal she's put our family through, Lukas and Gerild as well. She'd use any excuse to keep things the way she wants them to serve this malevolent purpose."

Mirian had thought the treachery was weighing on him, and she turned to face him, putting a hand on his shoulder gently. "Risek, something has to be done to stop them. I overheard your conversation with Lukas. I could find the chambers you spoke of while you're here and–"

"No," Risek said, shaking his head, looking over at her. "I'm not involving you in something like this. Whatever they want from you, they'll come for it soon enough, and I'm in no rush to hurry them along by provoking them."

Mirian looked down, and she felt tired and out of options. "I just thought if the King woke up, maybe he'd be able to...I don't know."

"Honestly," Risek started getting her attention when he paused, and he continued when she looked back at him, "I want my father to sleep through this nightmare. I don't ever want to wake him up to tell him that his own daughter has betrayed him. Even though Charlain and I never really get along well, she's my sister, and Father loves her completely." Lifting his head, he added after a deep breath, "Link and Zelda will just have to pull through for us now, until I'm well enough to get out of here on my own."

It was then that Risek had a thought, and glancing back at Mirian, he informed her of it. "If you get a chance, you need to take Gabriel and leave this place, find Link and Zelda. They'd be able to protect you both."

Mirian was shaking her head as soon as he said the word _leave_. "I can't, Risek. Even if I did get that chance, Gabriel would _never_ do that. He's thirteen, a young man more than a boy now, and I know I couldn't talk him into such a thing."

"He'd listen if I commanded it."

"No, he wouldn't," Mirian replied with a shake of her head, "and you know it. If we leave, we leave together. That's what he would say."

Mirian was completely right in that instance. Risek knew very well how stubborn Gabriel could be. It was a trait both brother's shared. Risek sighed out a breath, uncertain which way to turn when he considered it. In all of this mess, Lukas had been completely right about one thing. Risek wouldn't be able to achieve _anything_ while he was still in the dungeon.

Once he'd had that thought, the doors to the cell opened, and a guard walked in, ceasing the Prince from plotting anything further for the moment. Turning to face them both, the guard said, "Anamirian, you need to go now."

Her time was up. With a nod, she stood and had to let go of Risek's hand. He stared at the guard while she did, unhappy with the situation, but turned his eyes up to her while she left. The guard walked out just before she did, and Mirian glanced back at him, mouthing the words _I'll be back_ as she left the cell.

Once he heard the doors shut, and with no reason to sit up any longer, Risek felt the weight of his wounds pulling him down, and oddly enough, remembered Link saying how confessing his feelings would make him stronger. Once again, Link was right. Risek found himself amused over the thought somehow, and turned to lay back down on his stomach. Eyes closing, Risek wondered what Link and Zelda might've been up to in that moment, if they knew anything that was going on, or if they'd found Bowe yet.

But they hadn't been brought back in to the Palace, so that left the Prince with hope that they were accomplishing a little more than he was in that moment. Who knew, maybe they'd seen the punishment as well and wanted to try to help him escape. If that were the case, he hoped they were capable and didn't wind up in the dungeon themselves.

Meanwhile, having been told to stay away from Gabriel, Mirian walked back to her room after doing a few odd jobs around the Palace while considering everything that had happened. She knew once she got there, she would more than likely shed a few more tears, especially over what had been said in the dungeon. But somehow, those tears she felt wouldn't have been completely sad. She'd never expected to hear what she had there, and despite all of the chaos about them currently, it actually made her extremely happy.

Risek loved her, and every time she thought about it, she felt a warm chill roll through her.

Taking the handle of her door and turning it, she walked into her room and made sure to latch it behind herself before she turned around and looked up with a sudden gasp. Those warm feelings rolled away in a heartbeat.

"Welcome back, Anamirian. I'm sorry to surprise you," Charlain said, standing in her room without seemingly a care in the world, "but I needed to ask about something you have that I want. So I thought I'd let myself in and just wait for you."


	48. Capability

_Chapter 49 - Capability_

Rains had started falling in the evening hours. The thunder and lightening wasn't tremendously bad, but it was growing in sound and brightness over time. It flickered off of the faces of statues settled in the large hallways of the Althorian Palace and over the glass ceiling of the indoor arboretum, as well as into the bedroom where the King slept, completely oblivious to it. Despite the darkness that had filled the hallways, the Palace retained the beauty it had always sported, just a shell however for what the Kingdom was ceasing to stand for.

Guards flanked the doorways and many of the entrances. They were now the enemy, upholding Lukas's law, but this did not stop Arrik from heading into the Palace of course, and finding his son in the King's study, demanding an answer for why Risek had been thrown into the dungeon.

It also didn't matter to two Hylians who'd found their way into the royal home in the same manner they'd escaped - over the wall, onto the roof of the stable, and through a servant's door on the side of the Palace. They weren't content to just let things ride.

Still cloaked and hooded for the moment, under the magic of invisibility, they silently made their way to a corridor, having thought that the dungeon was their first goal. Once Risek had been freed, he could fill them in on everything, and they could continue on from there.

The problem was the guards. Link and Zelda had to stay invisible for the first half of their invasion, and Link didn't mind it, though he had to admit he was definitely ready to give a few of the guards - if not Lukas himself - a good beating. But for now, until they were sure that they could at least have Risek healed of his wounds using Zelda's magic - in order to give him a fighting chance - they had to sneak about.

The Hylians crossed the threshold outside of the door to the King's study just as Arrik had rounded the corner to enter it. From inside, when the doors shut, Zelda could clearly hear the words the Ambassador spoke, "Am I understanding correctly that Risek is in the dungeon, Lukas? I return from Meley and confusion is everywhere. _What_ is going on?"

"Let me explain, Father, there's a good reason for it," Lukas spoke, his tone calm, which only made Link even angrier.

"Well, I'm definitely awaiting that reason," replied his father, apparently impatient to know what in the names of the Goddesses had happened.

"Good, at least _someone_ seems to realize that this is all insane," Link said to Zelda before he continued on down the hallway, having the thought to what and find out what would happen, but he didn't want to risk it. They only had so much time before the invisibility wore off, and they'd do no one any good by being thrown in the dungeons. So moving on with Zelda, they were careful to stay out of the way when unseeing guards passed their position in order to get to the Prince.

Zelda couldn't agree more with what Link had told her, moving on after the guards went down an opposing hallway, hoping the old map that Renard had of the Palace held true to what it was today. Well, minus any secret chambers more than likely. It wasn't too old though, so she felt confident that they were heading in the right direction.

The thunder grew louder while they moved southerly. From what they understood, the entrance to the dungeon was located in the south tower of the Palace, which was a moderate walk from the west wing where they'd entered. But they were making good time, and knew they had to be in the right place when they saw the door that was supposed to lead down into it. Guards flanked it's sides, and it was hidden through an alcove so that the stones it was built from wouldn't stand out in the rest of the well-to-do corridor.

Zelda took Link's hand when they saw it, having elected beforehand to teleport through it due to necessity, and without question, they did just that. Reappearing on the other side of the stone portal, they came face to face with a set of stairs, winding down. They continued to move, heading down the steps without pause, and found a barred door meeting them, along with another guard who was standing watch.

As Link looked the guard over, he saw a set of keys on his belt, and since the man couldn't see him, he went ahead and made his move. Zelda had informed Link a while before now that invisibility only stuck to you if you didn't interact with those who were still visible. Once you did, the spell would drop rather quickly. But it didn't matter here. Risek needed to see them, and would anyway when Zelda healed him.

Moving over to the guard, Link reached up and drew his sword from it's sheath. The guard jerked when that happened, watching the weapon floating around suddenly when the invisible Hylian took it, completely spooked because he immediately thought there was a ghost about now. But in complete confusion, he watched a hooded man appearing before him after only a moment, now holding his own blade pointed at his throat, glaring at him with cool blue eyes.

"Give me your keys," Link demanded, "and stay quiet. I don't want to have to hurt you."

The guard nodded his head, reaching for the keys on his belt, and he held them out. Taking them, Link moved to the door that led into the dungeon and unlocked it, pushing it open. He couldn't see her now, but he knew Zelda was heading inside already in order to find Risek.

"Come on," Link said to the guard, "go inside."

"Alright, just don't hurt me," the man replied, moving into the cell with them. As he went, his hands up to show that he wasn't going to try anything, Link directed him to a cell and after he'd pocketed the keys to the Palace prison, he grabbed a pair of shackles that were hanging from a hook on the wall. The guard went inside and Link told him to turn around so that his back was facing the Hylian.

When the guard obliged him, Link clasped the shackles around one wrist, then drug it over to the other, still holding the man at sword point.

Cuffed soundly, Link used the sword he'd taken from the guard to cut a strip of clothe from the cloak he wore, and gagged the man with it to keep him from yelling out any warnings. With that problem taken care of, Link hauled his sword from the dungeon, planning on giving it to Risek, and turned to lock the door of the cell before he heard Zelda's voice.

"Link, I've found him."

Link turned around and looked, then he suddenly grinned. "I can't see you, Zelda."

"Oh, three doors down on the left from your position," she replied, apparently amused.

From inside the cell she'd been standing outside of, Risek thought he heard Zelda's voice, and he pushed himself up. A few moments later, he heard metal clicking, and he turned, asking her name aloud to see if he'd been right.

"Zelda? Is that you?"

Link stepped inside and removed his hood, nodding at the Prince. "She's still invisible, but it's us."

"Invisible?"

"Yes," came her voice again as she sat down on the bed next to Risek and put her hand on his shoulder. When he felt it, he looked surprised, seeing her hooded form appearing next to him suddenly. "We've come to get you out of here."

Once she'd told him as much, a light formed beneath her hand and against his skin, and Risek could somehow feel it melting into his body. The healing magic she possessed would easily take care of the wounds on his back, which would allow her enough energy to cast another teleportation spell, which would make it much easier for them to actually escape the dungeon.

After a few moments, the wounds marring his back began to close up, and Risek could feel an extreme difference. Where he'd been worn out before, now he was fine, and the relief almost made him feel like passing out.

While she worked, Link stepped forward and showed Risek the keys to the dungeon. "I locked the guard inside of a cell and gagged him, so we've got some time to talk if there's anything you need to fill us in on."

Once he'd showed Risek, he took off the cloak he'd been wearing and handed it to him since Risek's back had hurt a bit too much for any shirts to agitate his wounds before. Reaching out to take the garment, the Prince nodded his head in understanding, knowing he had a lot to pass on to the two of them so that they would be completely caught up with the story. So he started with what had happened from the time he'd gotten Aggie's letter until now.

Zelda stood up when she was finished with her job of taking care of the Prince's wounds, listening to the tale of the secrets Risek had come across and the truth about Lukas. He finished by saying that they were trying to keep Mirian from Gabriel now, so it was important to get them both away from the Palace.

As he spoke, he put the cloak on and stood from the bed, feeling so much better that he couldn't help but look at Zelda in gratitude. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me," Zelda replied. "We owed you for what happened, whether we felt obligated to do so or not. Now that we know for sure that Lukas is amongst the White Knights, we're planning to get Mirian and Gabriel away from here, and then come back to confront him before he can do anymore damage to the throne."

Listening, Risek told Zelda, "Lukas would expect something if he learns you've come to get all of us. Not to mention the guards seem to hold allegiance to him completely somehow. Also, Arrik will be returning at any time."

"He already has," Link told Risek. "He's with Lukas now, demanding answers for your imprisonment, and he didn't sound too happy about it."

"Good, then maybe it would be the best idea to find him as well before we leave so that we can tell him everything. Lukas will no doubt lie to him if Arrik sounded displeased about my punishment."

Nodding, Link turned to Zelda, asking her, "How much more can you do? I know you've already exhausted a bit of your strength."

Zelda looked down in thought, replying, "I'm not sure. I know I have enough energy right now for a teleportation though. I can take the three of us back to the corridor we entered here from, but after that, my magic will need a bit of time to restrengthen itself after making us invisible and healing Risek. Those aren't typical spells."

Link knew what she needed to do had taken it's toll on her. To top it off, neither of them had gotten much sleep, so Zelda's power was a dwindling just a bit in that moment to begin with. Thinking it over, Link finally decided that teleportation was the best choice. After all, if they could sneak up to Mirian's and Gabriel's room without being caught, it would be much easier to get them away from the Palace safely.

With the thought, he looked down at the sword he'd been carrying and handed it to Risek. "Here, just incase someone's in the corridor and spots us."

Reaching for the sword, all three of them armed now - Zelda had tied the sword her father had given her tied to her belt beneath her cloak before they'd left the Palace the night before - they were ready to depart. Stepping in close to both men, Zelda put her hands on their shoulders and asked them as much before they agreed that they were, and she used the last of her magical abilities for the time being.

"Just remember, once we're in the hallway, we'll be visible, and I won't be able to aide us with any magical intervention."

"I just hope you paid attention to my lessons," Link told her with a little smile.

Zelda returned that smile, and then she closed her eyes and envisioned her destination.

Disappearing in a blue-green light, they reappeared on the floor just above them, back in the corridor a short ways down the hall from where the guards stood at the entrance to the dungeon, parallel to their position. All three moved quickly to get against the wall before they could be spotted, and thankfully, the guards hadn't seemed to notice either of them.

Realizing this, Link turned his head to Zelda and Risek behind him, asking, "What's the easiest way to get to Mirian's chambers?"

Risek looked toward the north end of the corridor, seeing no one down that way, and he then motioned for them to follow him. Doing so, they began to move, sticking close to the wall so that they wouldn't be spotted, and after a glance to see if anyone was about, Risek led them across the hallway and toward a door - a servant's door - reaching to open it only to find that it had been locked.

"Link, do you still have the key?"

Link nodded, moving over while searching his pouch for it to unlock the door. As he did, they heard footsteps coming from the other end of the corridor, and Link tugged the key out as quickly as he could. Pushing it into the lock, he turned it quickly and got the door open.

Letting Zelda into the room first, then Risek, Link tugged the key back out so that it was locked once more, then turned and backed into the room himself, shutting it just as a group of guards began to move down the corridor outside of the room. The three of them could hear their footsteps marching from beyond the doorway while they past, and Link breathed out a loud sigh.

"Maybe you should take this," he said to Risek, handing him the key, "before we have another instance like that."

Nodding, Risek kept the key in hand, and Zelda looked about the room they were in. It was a simple room, looked to be somewhere that the servants would come to sit during a break, and outside of the window she could see that the rains had picked up heavily. On the opposing side of the quarter from where the three of them stood, there was a doorway and a set of stairs beyond it. Turning to Risek, she asked him the obvious question.

"This is to get to the first floor?"

With a nod, Risek headed toward the stairs with the Hylians following him. Going up and coming to another room on the first floor, they saw a few chambermaids with folded garments in their arms walking to the door to leave the room ahead. The three fugitives stood back to wait until they were gone, listening as they chattered about how they couldn't believe that not only was Risek a traitor, but that rumor had it Anamirian might have also had something to do with the whole mess involving the Hylian royal.

Deciding to ignore the gossip, Risek led his friends into the room and toward the door once the maids had left, pushing it open to peer out into the corridor. All he saw were the women walking down the hallway, continuing their chatter, and so he stepped out, glancing back and forth before motioning with his hand, "Mirian's room is down the hallway."

"Good," Link nodded, stepping out with Zelda next to him. "Do you think she'll be there?"

"If she's not, then it shouldn't be long before she returns," Risek replied, moving with them, careful to listen for any footsteps that weren't their own as they reached her door.

Once there, Risek took the handle, but he stopped. Voices could be heard coming from inside of the room, and he recognized them both easily. Anamirian and Charlain.

Inside of the chamber, several minutes before Link, Zelda, and Risek had arrived outside of her door, Mirian stared at the Princess, completely unsure how the women knew about the amulet she'd just found a day or so ago that had belonged to her family, but she did. Now she was asking Mirian for the amulet, and Mirian _wasn't_ going to just give it up.

"Doesn't ring a bell?," Charlain asked. "Gold encasing a red stone?" She stepped toward Mirian, who was taking a few steps back, not sure what Charlain intended to do exactly.

As Charlain watched the chambermaid, she saw the redhead's golden eyes spying something in specific, and she turned to look, seeing the chest settled on a dresser with the markings along the sides. A little smirk lined the Princess's lips.

Charlain had already inspected the box while she'd been waiting. Despite the fact that it wasn't locked, she couldn't undo the latch, but she suspected that the amulet was inside of it. After all, the markings on the chest were magical ones, made to keep the chest from letting just anyone into it.

Looking at Mirian again, she waved a hand and asked, "Tell me, Anamirian, is that chest locked perhaps?"

Mirian stared at Charlain, brows narrowing in anger, and she asked the Princess something instead of answering her. "What do you want this amulet for? What is it going to get you?"

"That's for me to know," Charlain told the chambermaid, heading toward the chest, "and I don't share secrets, especially not with servants." Coming to a stop, the Princess reached for the chest and tugged on the latch that kept it shut to see what was inside. Once again, the latch stayed firmly shut, and Charlain looked over at Mirian. Mirian seemed confused. She'd thought for sure the chest would have opened for the Princess. It was just a chest after all.

Wasn't it?

With a little smile, she added to her previous words, "But just this once, I've decided to make an exception. I do have a secret to share with you. And that secret would be that I'd never thought I might actually regret your brother's disappearance. If he'd been about, I'm sure I would've found the amulet sooner."

"What do you mean?," Mirian asked uncertainly.

"I mean," Charlain motioned to the chest, "that apparently, this chest is protecting whatever it contains, keeping it completely secret from _all_ eyes, and only the owner can open it. So, I would like to ask you now, if you would do me a favor, open this chest for me. It belongs to you now, and I need what's inside."

Mirian stared at the Princess quietly. That chest and what was inside of it was all that Mirian had left of her family, and she wasn't just going to hand it over. But Mirian also knew that Charlain was conniving, so she asked her, "What if I don't?"

"Oh, I think you know the answer to that, Mirian," Charlain replied, stepping toward her while she spoke. "The amulet inside of that chest is important for many reasons, and I'm not resting until I have it. Now, I could always completely embarrass you by letting the secret out that you're hopelessly in love with my brother," she started, smiling when Mirian's eyes went a little wide, "or I could do much worse and deny him anymore treatment while he's in the dungeon."

Charlain came to a stop before the Chambermaid and folded her arms over her chest, adding to her suggestions further. "What's more, I could deny Gabriel any chance to see him for the next month - if not longer - that Risek is down there. Risek's betrayal, after all, could become much worse depending on the actions of the Hylian fugitives while they're loose in Althor, and no one wants Gabriel to be influenced badly."

Mirian's throat was dry, unsure how Charlain knew any of her feelings for Risek to begin with, but she knew that Charlain, despite her reputation for having a love of frivolous things, was no fool.

To prove it, Charlain went on, stepping toward Mirian, "You see, I had a sudden epiphany early this morning while hopelessly hazing for an item that I'd been searching to find for a long while now. Suddenly, there it was, out in the open for the spirit world to inform me of. Now I know for certain the item has been protected inside of this chest all along, and I know you must have opened the chest recently."

As if owed, she told the chambermaid, "I did you a favor, Mirian. I allowed you go to tend to my brother in the dungeons, and I know you wanted to, because you probably felt very badly for him since you love him so much."

"I do not!," Mirian replied, unable to help the tone of her voice. Even though she'd just admitted her feelings for Risek to him, she didn't want Charlain to know anything about them.

But Charlain just chuckled softly, "Don't be shy, Anamirian. I've seen you whenever he's about. You _do_ hide it well, but I've watched ladies fawn about Risek since I was a little girl, and you're no different. But the look _you_ give him is _much_ more sentimental in those instances when you forget to guard yourself. I have to ask you, do you think he would _ever_ find something worthwhile in you? Or is it just hopeless affection?"

Mirian wanted to slap the woman, and tell her that apparently he _had_ found something meaningful in her. But instead, she bit her tongue and remained quiet while Charlain continued speaking.

"Now, I've done a favor for you, regardless of how hopeless your love for Risek is. There could be more of that to come as well, I really don't need to bother you further anyway, but you have to open the chest for me, Anamirian."

Mirian already knew what Charlain was capable of. Putting her own father into a deep sleep, and possibly having poisoned him for months on end just to make him ill like he'd become, no one was likely safe about her. Not Risek - nor Gabriel. Charlain would hurt them to hurt Mirian for not opening the chest until finally Mirian would agree to do so.

In realizing this, Mirian asked Charlain, "If I open the chest, will you promise to let Risek see Gabriel while he's in the dungeon? You can do whatever you wish to me, but not to them."

"Well, I don't care what happens to you anyway, but if it's so important that my brother's continue to see one another, then yes, I will promise to allow Gabriel to see Risek and vice versa, even if my husband decides to try to intervene. How's that?"

With a sigh, even though she still wanted her palm to meet Charlain's cheek, Mirian finally nodded her head. As important as the chest was to her - and the contents within it - she didn't want Gabriel or Risek hurt anymore than they already had been. So she stepped toward the chest.

On the way to the dresser where it sat, Risek had just reached the door outside in time to hear those last lines spoken by Charlain and Mirian, and he went to open the door, seeing both of the women's backs, and Mirian was opening the chest that Charlain had asked her to.

The latch came open at Mirian's hands, and Charlain smiled as the amulet was lifted from inside of it. Mirian was turning and reaching out her hand to take it when suddenly she gasped because Charlain's brother had grabbed the Princess and pushed her toward a table which she crashed into, and then fell to the floor, the potted plants there also falling in the wake of the crash.

The movements had caught Mirian off guard, and she stifled a yelp, not wanting to draw any attention to either of them. Risek and Link had no idea what this item was that Charlain wanted, but it fell to the floor from Mirian's startled grasp with a loud tap and caught their attentions.

Thunder sounded outside, and Zelda moved toward Mirian, staring down first at Charlain, who'd just glanced back up to see who her assailant was, and then at the amulet that had hit the floor, the red stone in it glinting in a bright flash of lightening from outside.

Recognition dawned in Zelda's eyes over what the item was.

"Risek," Charlain drew out, "that _wasn't_ necessary. Actually, it was rather rude."

"Rude?," Risek asked angrily, "Do you really think I'd care? After you hung Gabriel's head over her to get what you wanted, or poisoned _our_ father to do the same!"

Smirking, Charlain shook her head, "No, I don't, nor do I expect you to understand any of this," she rolled her eyes at him, "he who holds greater favor."

"What?," Risek asked, confused by the name she'd called him.

"Oh, don't act like you don't know," Charlain replied, anger in her voice. "You always act so certain, as if you know the entire world might tilt itself, and our father? Well, let's just say I'd _never_ have a chance now would I? Father _told_ me that."

"He told you _what_! That I'm better than you?"

"He told me I'd _never_ lead _anything_ when I was fifteen. But you, you're simply _perfect_ to do whatever you wish, aren't you?"

"Is _that_ why you've done this? Are you trying to prove something, Charlain? Because all you've proven is that our father was _right_."

Charlain glared at Risek like she could've killed him right then and there. In their distraction, Zelda moved from Mirian's side and toward the amulet that she'd dropped. When Charlain noticed it, she pushed herself up suddenly, holding out a hand swiftly to knock the Hylian Princess away with a wave of magic that burst from her palm in a bright blue light.

Mirian was also caught in that blast, standing directly behind the Princess, and Zelda was caught at a weak point because she'd already expended so much of her magic. When the wave of energy hit her, she cringed and flew right into Mirian, the both of them hitting the wall, crumpling to the floor.

"Zelda!," Link yelled and drew his sword immediately. He didn't care that Charlain was an Althorian Princess. His first duty was Zelda's protection, and he moved toward Charlain to stop her from hurting the woman who was both his Princess and his future wife.

Risek had looked back to see what it was in specific that Charlain had been so adamant about stopping Zelda from obtaining, and he spied the amulet laying on the floor. While this happened, Link had moved in behind Charlain quickly, aiming to draw his sword up before her throat, when she suddenly disappeared from that position to escape him and in her wake a malevolent cackle sounded amongst the thunder outside brewing in the worsening storm.

"Witch," Link sneered, slinging the Master Sword around in his left hand while keeping his eyes open, looking over at Risek, then down to the amulet just across the way, and that was where Charlain appeared. She bent down quickly and pulled the amulet up into her palm.

As she'd stood, Risek grasped her wrist in a tight hold, having already gotten the feeling that was what she wanted to do, teleport to the amulet. She jerked on her arm though and held up her hand, touching his forehead. When she did, a bright light formed beneath her fingertips, and Risek felt as if a ton of force had just hit him, knocking him backwards. Losing his grasp, he slid across the floor, the blade he'd thought to impale his own sister with slipping from his grasp.

As the blade went spiraling across the floor, Link moved in, and just before he could even try to reach for her, she once again disappeared, proving her mettle in the arts of witchcraft.

Sneering, Link looked over to see Risek pushing himself up, shaking his head, but since he was moving, Link knew he was alright, and so he moved toward both of the ladies who'd also been tossed over. Leaning down, he helped Zelda up, who was slightly out of it, and he took Mirian's hand.

"Risek, do you think you know where she might've gone?"

Risek had pushed himself to his feet and headed over. When he got there, Link let him help Mirian up, and he replied with the words, "She's either taking this amulet to Lukas, or she's going to her lair with it."

With the ladies both back on their feet, and seeming to be fine, Mirian nodding as much when Risek tried to check while Zelda actually looked a bit annoyed over what had happened, they heard Risek asking, "What was that amulet?"

Mirian shook her head, "Just an heirloom that my father passed on to Marcelle. I don't know _why_ Charlain wanted it so badly."

Zelda, taking Link's hand in hers to reassure him she was fine, looked over at Mirian and Risek, saying, "Charlain's gone to her husband, I can almost guarantee it. If I'm right, that amulet has far too much power for Charlain to do anything with it herself."

Link thought over those words for a moment, but knew they didn't have time to ask about the particulars right then. Instead, he said to them, "Then we need to go to the King's study now. We have no time to sneak, we'll just have to go."

"You're right. But what about Gabriel?"

"I'll take Mirian to fetch him," Zelda spoke, looking at Link before he could argue. "I'll be fine. I'm not completely helpless, and you _have_ to stop him. That amulet is _very_ important."

Link didn't like it, but he knew that Zelda was right. Risek didn't like the sound of it either, but he was a slight bit surprised when Link looked at him to say, "You go with them. I'll go to the study. Don't argue, I know this is your kingdom, but this is why Zelda and I came here also. So just go."

Before Risek could say anything to Link, he'd turned to leave the room. Zelda grabbed Risek's arm before he could try to tell Link to wait and said, "Let's just listen to him. Believe me Risek, he'll be fine. Just take us to Gabriel, and then we can join him again."

With a loud sigh, deciding there really was no other choice now, Risek nodded and then turned, his arm around Mirian's shoulder as they went. He picked the weapons back up that he'd been given on the way out, and Mirian reached for the Princess's hand so they could stay together more easily, leaving her chambers to go fetch Gabriel.

Risek knew that Link was capable, but he and Mirian both wondered just _how_ capable he might've been in this situation.


	49. Gift of the Goddesses

_Chapter 50 - Gift of the Goddesses_

Link moved down the hallway and toward the door that led into the tower, knowing exactly where the King's Study was from passing it on the way to liberate Risek. He was determined to get to that room before Lukas had the amulet, and while Link wasn't sure exactly what to expect, he'd never let the unknown stop him before, and now was no different, his resolve glinting in his blue eyes as lightening flashed outside of the windows. Just as it was unfurling inside, the storm outside was blowing now chaotically.

The only thing that _did_ worry him didn't lay in the King's Study, but with the three he'd parted from to go have a confrontation. He hoped Risek could manage to watch out for Zelda and Mirian, as well as Gabriel once they'd gotten him. But in the least, he knew Risek was no push over, and Zelda was smart, so his worry was lessened a good bit with that knowledge.

Heading toward the tower now, as soon as Link rounded the corner, hi considerations stopped when he saw that guards were standing down the hallway. They'd been patrolling them, and came to a stop in their tracks when they spotted the green-clad Hylian standing before them.

Link looked to see the door of the tower just next to the both of them, so he had no choice but to engage them if he wanted to pass, and as they yelled the word _Halt!_, he took off running - right toward them.

Both guards drew their swords, and Link let them, ducking down into a roll at the last minute to avoid their strokes and moving between them. He came to a stop and grabbed the hilt of his sword, standing up behind them quickly. As he rose, he tugged the Master Sword from it's sheath, turning and - with a quick stroke - slashed both guards across the back before they could really move to face him completely.

They were knocked forward from the blow, and while Link wasn't completely aiming to kill them, he wasn't showing any mercy either, turning to hit one of the reeling men with his shield before catching the other's sword with his own blade and twisting it around to push it back, then kick his leg into the guard's knee.

The result was to send the man stumbling down, and as soon as he'd hit the floor, Link turned his arm and the Master Sword with it, connecting the blade with the standing guard's armored chest, knocking him backwards into the wall.

Though the two of them weren't unconscious, they were down for the moment, and Link moved into the tower door that was next to their position, heading down the steps quickly. If he could make it to where Lukas was, it wouldn't matter if they recovered and followed him. At least they'd be too busy looking for him to find anyone else for now.

It took Link no time to reach the landing, and he moved into the ground floor's corridor, turning right, and heading down the hallway to find the double doors where Lukas had been when Link had arrived there. It wouldn't be hard to spot - the threshold had the crest of Althor marked upon the marble floor.

Link inevitably heard more guards behind him, but he knew that if he could make it to the door, he'd have a chance to lock them out while he took this amulet back that Zelda had said was so powerful. In his consideration of possible options along the way to the King's Study, he almost forgot that there were two men flanking that door as well, which made him come to a stop when he saw them.

They saw him as well, and both of them moved out to surround him. Four on one, and Link looked back to see the guards he'd faced upstairs slowing in their movements as they closed in upon him. He then forward again at his two new opponents, his hand on the hilt of his blade as they slowly approached him.

"How'd you get in here!," one of the guards asked him as he was surrounded.

Link didn't notice Zelda, Risek, and Mirian emerging from the door behind him, one of the servant's doors they'd used to get to the ground floor again from having made their way to Gabriel's room. Instead, he focused on his opposition and as he glanced about, he spied a chandelier hanging from the ceiling above just in front of the door to the King's study, which was behind two of the guards blocking him in now, and he smirked.

"Same way I'm going to get out of this," he replied to the guards.

Zelda stopped Risek from heading into the foray right away, having the feeling that Link wasn't in that desperate of need. "Just wait, Risek, if he does what I think he'd going to, _they'll_ be surrounded. Then we can make more of a demand from them to let us pass."

Risek had to trust her for the moment, and he watched the scene along with Mirian in anticipation of the outcome.

The guards all chuckled at the surrounded Hylian's remark to them, and one of them said, "Alright, then get your hands up and you can tell us."

"Alright," Link nodded, his hand having already been searching in his hammer bag, and found what he needed. "I did it by using my brain. Here, I'll demonstrate."

Letting go of his blade for the moment, he tugged out the hookshot, aiming it toward the chandelier and firing it off. The hook snagged the crystal ornament and tugged him off of the floor quickly, up through the air, and over his opponent's heads.

This was definitely not an expected outcome, everyone but Zelda looking a bit surprised while the Princess just knew that was what had been coming. As Link went, he kicked his foot into one of the guard's helmets, knocking them backwards, and once the chain had stopped pulling him upwards, he released the hook and fell back to the floor.

On the way down, the same guard he'd kicked was still reeling, and Link grabbed his shoulder and pushed him, sending him flying into the one he'd been standing next to so he'd knock them both over. Once they'd hit the wall from the hard shove, Link reached for his blade and tugged it free before either of them could grasp theirs, stopping them in their tracks since they were at a position where Link could easily run them through - or decapitate them even.

Gaining the upper hand with those two, it was then that he heard the other two guards gasping in surprise.

Looking over, he saw a sword at each of their throats, Zelda behind one, and Risek behind the other. The sight made him smile, and Link informed the two that he'd just knocked over, "See? Anything's possible if you put your mind to it."

With those words spoken, still holding his blade toward the two guards threateningly, he glanced at Risek and Zelda again quickly, but only noticed Mirian behind them. "Risek, where's your brother?"

"He wasn't in his room," came Risek's voice from behind the guard, and he grabbed the man's sword, shoving him away. Zelda also took the sword of the guard which she'd been holding up, and as the two men were released and unarmed, they both realized that they were surrounded now.

Risek spoke to them, hoping this didn't have to end in bloodshed, "Let us pass. We're only wishing to speak with Lukas, alone."

The guard Link had knocked over started replied through clenched teeth, "Lukas isn't in there, it's only Arrik."

"Then we'll speak with Arrik," Risek informed him sternly, "We _need_ to speak with him, then you may arrest us as you see fit. What other way out of the King's study is there but that door? You've nothing to lose by letting us pass."

The guard shook his head, "Do you really think I'd let you in to try to harm the Arch Duke?"

Suddenly, a voice sounded from inside of the study, calling to the guards specifically, "Let them in. I'm a bit too preoccupied to do so myself at the moment, but I can hear everything you're saying. Just open the door. That's an order." The voice belonged to Arrik.

With a loud sigh, one of the two guards still standing looked at the door and replied, "Yes sir!," then he walked over and, while casting an annoyed gaze in Link and Risek's direction, he opened the door for them, their comrades standing behind - or slumped against the wall still - watching the four of them heading into the room.

Link moved into the study and stood close to Zelda when they heard the doors shut behind them. It was in entering the room that they figured out where Gabriel was.

"You see, Gabriel," Arrik told the young boy and patted his arm, "your brother is quite well. I'm so sorry you were subjected to seeing such a punishment dealt to him earlier, I know that was highly upsetting."

Gabriel nodded, and without pause, he sprung up from where he'd been sitting next to the Ambassador and ran to Risek. Risek leaned down and met him, understanding that Gabriel had been afraid for him.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine now, Gabriel, there's no need to worry about me."

Arrik nodded as he watched them reunited. Also standing in the room was Charlain, and she looked completely out of sorts and unhappy. Arrik frowned at her, then motioned a hand in her direction before glancing back at Risek as if he wanted some input for what he was about to say.

"She's done something to upset this house from what I understand."

"Yes," Risek replied, looking from Arrik and to Charlain, adding pointedly, "she has."

"And, I take it that Link and Zelda were forced to come find you because they knew you'd done nothing to betray your father. They used magic to heal you, correct?"

"They did," Risek gave, and then looked at Link and Zelda who glanced from him and to the Ambassador, listening to the conversation with interest.

With a nod, Arrik stood from where he'd sat, lifting the chair he'd pulled out to settle beneath the table at the left side of the room before he headed in front of the desk and faced them all. He looked dejected over the things going on, and he waved his hand at Gabriel before he told them what had gone on after he'd arrived in the Palace again.

"Gabriel was definitely out of sorts. Charlain did _much_," he spoke before glancing at her with a stern gaze, "to upset him." When he said that, Charlain cringed a bit, her gaze downcast. Arrik shook his head and turned to look at Risek once more before he added, "So did my sons, and I'm sorry. But, was this was what you were trying to prevent from falling into Lukas's hands?," he asked, lifting Mirian's amulet up, a sorrowful expression on his face.

"It is," Zelda said. "Did she come here thinking her husband was about?"

"She did," Arrik nodded, "but I've assigned Lukas to something _special_," he enunciated, "and he won't be around for a good while, believe me. As much as it pains me, this has to be done for the good of everyone involved. I knew when Charlain appeared here that Risek had been told the complete truth about this witchcraft he'd spoken of, and I also knew that you three were likely about, so I waited here for your arrival after taking care of Lukas so that hopefully, we could deal with all of this together. Sort things out."

Charlain looked completely and honestly scared. She'd already expended a good bit of energy escaping Link and Risek, and now she didn't have much power at current left to save herself again. At least, not by just disappearing. The power she'd used was granted to her from the White Knights, but theirs had a mute on it, and she was already borrowing, so she really had no where left to go in that moment.

Arrik looked away from her, adding the words, "I never would have wished this type of thing onto any of you, and this kingdom deserves so much better than the threats presented to it. Link, Zelda," he added, looking over in their direction, "I'm truly sorry you've had to witness any of this. A few weeks ago, when the King was well enough to speak, he told me he feared we were falling into darkness. I told him I would do everything within my power to stop that from happening. I suppose you just happened to meet us at a rocky time in our lives."

"We've seen worse," Zelda assured Arrik, "and sometimes steps need to be taken regardless of the road you're on."

"That they do." Arrik nodded in agreement, and then he looked back at once more.

Risek also looked at Charlain, and he was saddened that anything had to be this way with one of his own, but it did. "Arrik, what are you thinking of concerning what she's done?"

Quietly, Arrik began to speak, his words directed at Charlain while he still watched her. "You were given a task by those who'd joined forces with the White Knights, a horrible task that no daughter should ever be handed. But you've done well, Princess. I am honestly surprised, but you've served your duty fully. The rewards promised you will be as described."

The sudden change in what appeared to be alliances swept over everyone - _even_ Charlain - with a shocking recoil. Thunder sounded in the dumbfounding silence. The Althorian Princess stared at Arrik in confusion, looking at the rest in the room only once before she asked, "What?"

"What?," Link and Risek asked also, the three questions coming out at the same time.

Mirian's amulet, which Arrik still held, began to glow in his hand, and when it did, the room began to tremble a bit. Looking back at the others, the Ambassador shook his head. "As I'd said, I'm sorry for all of this. Lukas and Gerild can be a bit ambitious, but what they did was never what was intended. They tend to be overzealous with the power granted them. You do know that sometimes you have to do things yourself when you want them done right however. Had this been completely under my whim, you never would have had to suffer, Risek."

With the words, a mist of some type seemed to flow out of Arrik in white and blue colors, magical by definition in appearance, taking the shape of armor about his body before it solidified, his entire form seeming to become a bit bigger than it had appeared before. The shape it took was large and menacing, and this turn of events had each and every one of them shocked completely.

What's more - Link and Risek recognized him.

He was the leader of them all, the same they'd met that day on the field in Hyrule.

"You!," Risek growled out the word, stepping forward to push Gabriel behind him protectively.

As the magic swirled about Arrik's body to form the armor he wore as the commander of the White Knights, he turned to face them completely, the amulet that belonged to Mirian's family still glowing in his hand, and his voice, just as garbled by magic as it had been that day on the fields, sounded to them once more.

"Yes. I apologize for keeping this secret, but I believe, had you been in my position, you would have done the same thing. Now do not be upset. As I told you, what Lukas has done was _not_ what I wanted. Things have gotten much more out of hand than they ever needed to, and I _am_ sorry for that. But I also had to keep myself in the dark. Not even Charlain knew my true identity, which you can," he turned to look over at her, "see by her face now."

Charlain continued to stare, and while she did, Arrik asked, "You thought your husband was our commander, didn't you? You just weren't sure of the details."

"I...," Charlain trailed off, "I wanted to think so, yes."

"Well, he's not. And I hid myself because of what it is that I hold. Eventually, yes, Lukas will succeed me, unless he displeases me again. Then Gerild will do just that. But, this is a conversation for another time."

As Arrik spoke the words that seemed to echo out of him and resound with strength through the room, he looked toward the five occupying it aside from Charlain and asked, "You would like to know a great many things, wouldn't you?"

Risek clenched his teeth, not sure he could stand anymore of this. Was _no one_ he knew besides Mirian and Gabriel against these bastards! Link had moved in beside of Risek, a frontline between them, and he looked completely unhappy as well.

Arrik seemed to sense Risek's anger, so instead of making the Prince ask anything, he took a step forward, the heavy boot of armor he wore clinking against the floor while he walked toward them.

"Let me tell you the story. I'm sure you won't be as upset if you're not so confused. Ages ago, a group of men were chosen by an ancient white Dragon named Effilius to carry out the will of the Goddesses, and maintain peace in the land. I'm sure you've read the particulars before. He gifted each with a scale, and infused in them his blood to more easily control that scale. But not as long ago, though still many hundreds of years I'd wager, a previous royalty in the ancient kingdom of Alnaric saw to it that we were stamped out, with the help of a relic from a foreign land. It was the same relic I asked you about that day in the field. It destroyed all lines save one. I am a descendant of this line. "

Arrik turned his helmet-hidden face toward Link and Zelda, and with a wave of his free hand, he continued, "You two, I know, possess two pieces of it. It was all too apparent the night you were controlled to attacked Risek, Link. What surprised me the most, however, was that Risek, an Althorian, had been granted the third piece, otherwise things would have been played out bit differently."

"I would have been _killed_," Risek said in specific, sounding completely unhappy with the outcome, and of course, rightly so.

"Yes," Arrik drew out softly, "a mistake. Something that should never have happened, for you," he turned, "are worthy. I asked you that day on the field of Hyrule to join us. You told me you'd rather ally yourself with a Hylian than join a rank of your own kind. Now I understand the odd attachment you've felt to this young Knight. It was one meant to be by the Goddesses themselves."

A moment of silence passed between words, and Risek shook his head. "No, that's not the reason why at all. You _kill_ those who oppose you, so dare I say, your ideas of what the Goddesses want are a bit twisted."

"Took the words out of my mouth," Link said in reinforcement.

"Risek," Arrik replied, shaking his head, "you have no idea how much more easily it would be to bring peace to our kingdom if you _did_ join us. How easy it would be to form the alliance you seek with Hyrule, to have everything fall into place. Lukas is a capable man, Risek, but he is not a Prince, and he is not as capable a leader as you have grown to be. You took the burden of your father's illness on top of all his responsibility and led your Kingdom to a hopeful alliance with a land that is so close to the Goddesses, it was gifted with a relic that carries their essence. You were even _chosen_ to have a piece of that yourself.

"I should have humbled myself before you that day, Prince, but I was ignorant. Now, that offer still stands. Join us now, and all of this can end peacefully."

Thunder rumbled outside of the room, and Charlain, Zelda, Mirian, Link, and Gabriel all listened to what was being spoken. Mixed feelings were among them. Link would have told Arrik to stick it where it'd hurt the most. Charlain didn't like either decision, and Zelda knew her father would never allow Hyrule to ally with these Knights when they'd come so close to killing her before.

Risek lifted his head, his expression still unreadable, which drew out a bit of tension for Charlain, but those who knew him best weren't surprised by his retort.

"Do you really think I am that idiotic?," Risek asked, his tone bland. "If not you," he shook his head, "then your minions under _you_ put my father in danger, made him ill, killed my best friend, threatened countless others that I care for, and tried not once, but _twice_ to kill me as well as nearly killed the Princess of Hyrule, and now you think I would even _remotely_ consider joining you? If this is to end peacefully, Arrik, then it will end with your spoken words of surrender. Right here, right now."

Link couldn't help smiling. No way he could've said it better himself. Even though he knew that Arrik wasn't through with the conversation, he looked over at the man and just said, "Ouch."

Arrik ignored the statement from the Hylian that seemed to sum up the Prince's slap in the face to him. Instead, he continued to focus on Risek. "Risek, these were necessary deeds. Those people," he scoffed, "they were all heretics, blasphemers, infidels. They do not obey the will of Din, Nayru, and Farore."

"And the Goddesses would approve of you _murdering_ for that?," Link asked, getting the man's attention finally. "Like Risek said, your ideas are a little bit twisted around."

Arrik remained quiet. Looking over the five of them, he began to shake his head. "I did not want things to turn out this way. But if you're not willing to cooperate, then I have no choice."

The amulet he held began to glow much more brightly in his hand, the red color of it reflecting off of the armor he wore until the rest of the room had grown dark aside from strikes of lightening in the clouds outside. The room started to tremble again, shaking, and amidst what was happening, Risek, Link, and the rest banding a bit more closely together, Arrik spoke once more.

"Ganondorf showed me what I 'd lost. He awoke in me knowledge of the ancient relic that had been passed down through my family for centuries, one I'd previously thought just an heirloom, and now, without his threat present, I can use this amulet to do what I need to right the wrongs committed against us."

"_Ganondorf_!," Link asked angrily, Zelda also turning wide eyes up at the Ambassador. Now they _knew_ this wasn't a situation they could just turn their backs on to let Althor deal with. If Ganondorf had something to do with this, then it _couldn't_ be good.

Arrik ignored Link, simply saying, "The power once muted will now be broken free at last!"

The Master Sword came free of it's sheath in Link's hand and he moved ahead. Best to stop the problem before it got started were his sentiments in that moment, saying it wasn't already too late, but he had to try. Risek was only a step behind him as well with the same thoughts in mind when a powerful burst of energy was released and a beam of light sprang forth from the room beneath the White Knight's armored feet, rising upwards toward the ceiling. It knocked the two men away without warning, and they slid backwards across the floor.

Link and Risek ended up laying just across from one another in the aftermath of that shock, grunting to push themselves forward again as Zelda turned to go help them up with Gabriel. The room was shaking and something was definitely taking place, but what exactly as from breaking the mute that had been placed on the White Knight's powers no one was sure of, except for Zelda.

And also Mirian.

The chambermaid couldn't stop staring at the amulet that Arrik was holding. She barely noticed the trembling in the room as she stood there, almost completely entranced by it. As if possessed to do so, she reached up her hand toward the amulet, and as Arrik could feel the mute of his power being completely broken, the amulet seemed to flinch in midair as if it wanted to go to her.

"If you stand against us," Arrik told them amidst the whirring energies, "you stand against the Goddesses, and this cannot be allowed."

"Link, we _have_ to leave now!," Zelda spoke over the sounds as loudly as she could to him once he was on his feet again. "We can't stay here!" They were unprepared to handle this, and Zelda couldn't ignore that fact. Even though her own power had partly returned to her to an extent now, she still wasn't fully up to par, and this aside, Gabriel and Mirian could have also been badly hurt if not killed were a fight to take place.

Looking back at the bright light encompassing Arrik when he heard Zelda's lines being yelled to Link, Risek saw Mirian standing there insignificantly before the White Knight's commander, and he called her name to get her attention, but the whirring of energy growing into a loud roar blotted out his voice from her pointed ears.

"Mirian! Come on, let's go!"

Mirian took a breath, suddenly understanding something she'd never felt before amidst what was happening, could feel it bubbling up inside of her as if it'd been there all along, but she'd just never seen it. She finally acted when she did and threw up her hand while yelling out, "Stop this!," at Arrik.

When she did so, the amulet snapped its own chain from Arrik's fingers and flew towards her, slamming into her body in a bright red light, consuming her completely while her friends looked on in a surprised stupor.

The flash it created was too bright for anyone to be able to see clearly after a moment however, and they all held up their hands in its wake, shielding their eyes. The whirring of sound and energy didn't last much longer after that however, and the light that had dimmed out in the room due to the powers present began to fade back to normal.

As it did, and their vision returned to them, they looked up to see that Arrik was flying backwards through the air from a blast of power at Mirian's hand, crashing into the desk to break it apart almost completely. The energy she'd utilized had taken on the glowing outlines of a dragon, but it soon faded before anyone could catch a completely clear glimpse of it.

Mirian stood there with her arm outstretched while drawing shaky breaths, the force she'd exuded having overpowered the Ambassador to the point of knocking away his armor temporarily. The room stopped quaking, and everything became silent after the loud crash created by his body, and Mirian soon lowered her arm as her golden eyes fell shut. With a deeply exhaled breath, she fell to her knees, and then collapsed completely.

"Mirian!," Risek yelled, going to her with his brother while Arrik was down. As they helped her up, Link and Zelda both moved to flank their sides, just as Charlain had gone to Arrik in order to offer him aide in turn. Seeing her unconscious face when Risek turned her over in his arms and lifted her, Gabriel looked at his brother with concern.

"Is she okay?"

She was breathing, and seemed fine aside from being unconscious, so Risek just gave his brother a pained nod, hoping to ease Gabriel's worry. "She's just unconscious."

Link listened to this, and then looked at Zelda, the two of them exchanging a somewhat worried glance. Mirian was unconscious for now, potentially needed a doctor, Gabriel's life was at stake, and their own strength wasn't at full power. The look they shared between one another spoke this, and they both knew that they had to get out of there, even if Arrik hadn't broken the mute on the powers of Alnaric's White Knights.

Apparently he needed the amulet to do that, and Mirian had somehow gotten it back. So if there was ever a time to leave, it would have been now.

But Link heard Arrik getting up, looking over to see Charlain with him, and he stepped in front of Risek and Mirian with Zelda just behind him, flanking his side. No longer in his armor after the surprise attack Anamirian had unleashed upon him, Arrik looked up from the debris left behind of the desk he'd destroyed when he'd slammed into it to see his opponents position, and with Mirian unconscious now in Risek's arms, he suddenly smiled, giving a nod of his head.

"As soon as I realized that amulet was hers when Charlain brought it here, I'd known she carried the blood of a dragon as well. I didn't expect however," he grunted, Mirian's attack apparently having winded him, "that she would awaken to it in such a way."

Risek sneered, but his eyes shifted to Link who'd stepped before him, ready to protect them all. Arrik gave notice the Hylian once he was standing away from the rubble of the furniture, his silver eyed gaze giving Link a once over.

"You should have expected the unexpected, Arrik," Link told the man. "Believe me, we all have a surprise or two up our sleeves from the looks of it."

Charlain's expression said she didn't want Link to harm her Lord, about to turn to face Link when suddenly, a barrier of blue light rose up around her in order to contain her. As it formed, she gasped, lifting her hands to the magic and looked to see Zelda standing with her arm raised, having formed the magical shield.

While the Hylian Princess lowered her arm, she told Charlain one simple warning.

"_Don't_."

Arrik sighed and held up his hand to tell Charlain to remain quiet for now even though the Princess didn't look happy at _all_. Despite her position, he simply smiled at Link and nodded over what he'd said about everyone having a surprise up their sleeves, telling him, "That we do," then called Link somewhat begrudgingly, "_Hero of Light_. Tell me, do you also think to follow in the footsteps of your predecessor? The one who carried the Triforce of Courage before you and used it to repress my ancestors?"

"If it was done once, it can be done again," Link replied without hesitation. "He apparently just missed one of you. But I'll finish what he started without complaint if it means you answering for what you've done."

Arrik shook his head slowly. "The ambitions of youth," he muttered out as if annoyed by it. "I can already see that you and Zelda are both unwilling to use your gifts to aide us. This being the case, I will have to continue on as I have been. But now, I no longer have to worry about the mute placed upon our power so long ago at the hands of the Red Dragon who opposed us."

Risek had lifted Mirian up, the woman still unconscious for the moment, but she looked as if she were trying to come to. Holding her with an arm beneath her knees, he glared in Arrik's direction. "What are you thinking to do, Arrik? Confine us all somehow?"

"If I have to," Arrik responded and lifted a hand. When he did, a barrier began to form over the door behind them to prevent their escape, and without the mute on his power any long, Arrik was probably capable of much more than just that. The sound of the power he was using to form that blockade caused them all to glance back at the door.

As he worked to form it, he told them, "I have all three pieces of the Triforce here, the last of the Red Dragon's line, and the heir's to the throne of Althor. In this, I see a gift from my Goddesses, and I shall use it accordingly."

Apparently, Arrik was intent on imprisoning some of them and killing the rest. It looked like a fight with him was going to be inevitable that night after all.


	50. Obstacle

_Chapter 51 - Obstacle_

Link was prepared to do what it looked he was going to have to, sword glinting in the lightening flashing through the window. As far as Link could see, he believed his best bet was to at least get the barrier broken down, and give his friends the chance to escape. Even if he became a prisoner here, their safety mattered to him more than his own.

It happened quickly, and no one had expected it. While the barrier was being formed and Link was prepared to move in for an attack, a force from beyond the King's study intervened. A loud crash sounded, the glass in the window shattered at the hands of a burst of powerful energy that went heading straight toward Arrik, interrupting everything completely.

The surprise burst slammed into the Ambassador without mercy, sending his body flying. Without his armor, it had been twice as effective as normal, and what's more, stopped him from forming the barrier he'd been so set on using against what he'd called his gifts to contain them where they were currently.

Link's expression was, of course, one of surprise. This was twice now that Arrik had been attacked without any form of notice, and for just a brief moment as the man landed and went unconscious, his barrier now broken, Link couldn't help but feel a streak of pity for him rising up in him. Not pity because he felt any sort of sympathy however, but pity because men of his calibur would apparently never learn their lessons. But when you were blinded by greed and lust, what else was there to see?

Link supposed if he had that mind set, he wouldn't have saved an entire kingdom and be set to wed its Princess now.

When Zelda got a brief sense of the magic that had incapacitated Arrik for the moment, she narrowed her brows a bit in a bit of confusion. It had been the power of a Sage of Hyrule which had just stopped Arrik, but she couldn't question the origins just. The intervention had bought them the time they needed to get out, and the barrier once forming over the door had broken itself, all at about the same time that the barrier Zelda had contained Charlain in broke open.

Concerned for Arrik's life, she moved toward him and knelt down. Risek watched her, thinking for only a moment and during a storm of mixed emotion wracking him, that apparently, he'd never even had a sister. Everything must have changed so drastically for her when her mother died, but her tragedies weren't worse than anyone else's, her actions completely unjustified.

Still, Risek wanted to try. He had to. "Charlain," he said, "you don't have to help him. He's caused nothing but grief. There's no redemption to be had."

"Speak for yourself, Risek," Charlain replied with nothing but disdain in her voice, tugging the unconscious Arrik up into her arms. "He's been more of a father to me than the King has ever been, and he's been a good father to you as well."

"Charlain, he has, until he demanded you poison our _true_ father! And for what!"

"Because he's blind!," Charlain snapped back. In knowing they would kill Arrik now, and that she wouldn't be able to stop all of them, she shook her head at Risek and summoned up the power to get Arrik away, her last words before she teleported the Ambassador from the scene being, "You never cared before, so don't start trying to now."

Charlain's words cut into Risek, leaving a sting even after she disappeared with the man. Still carrying Mirian, he turned from where the two had been only a moment beforehand, and Link sheathed his sword. The Hylian looked over and a bit up at Risek, asking, "Are you going to be alright?"

"Yes," Risek gave with a nod. "Let's go before Arrik recovers and tries to find another way to detain us."

With a nod and a little movement, Link pushed the doors of the King's study open, and in the hallway outside, he saw no one. But for now, he decided that questioning where the guards who'd previously been there had gone would be a conversation best saved for later. Taking good fortune when it presented itself was the better option.

They turned and began to go as quickly as possible. Zelda moved with her hand in Link's, the other holding Gabriel's, while Risek carried Mirian who'd started to open her eyes. They reached a door to another Servant's quarter down the hallway and threw it open, scaring the mess out of a woman who'd been walking out of the doors, completely oblivious to the things going on around the Palace currently.

She threw up her arms and dropped the bucket of water she'd been carrying to clean the floors as the five of them past her, sending suds everywhere. While she stared, Gabriel - the last to enter the room - looked up at her and said, "Sorry, Mrs. Brandford! Tell Tirus I won't be able to give him back his slingshot for a while, okay?"

Tirus, being the woman's son, was a friend of Gabriel's, and the young Prince shut the door behind himself on the middle aged woman's starkly confused face.

Once the door was shut, Gabriel looked over at the adults he was with, and he heard Link asking, "Slingshot?"

Shrugging, the young man explained, "I asked Tirus to loan it to me. I wanted to sneak into the rafters in the Throne Room and wait for Lukas for what he had done to Risek."

In hearing this explanation, Link suddenly grinned. Looking at Risek, he told the Prince, "I like your brother."

While they were temporarily hidden in the servant's quarter they'd entered, they had just a brief moment to take in a breath or two. Risek shook his head in Link's direction, and decided he'd just have to ask Gabriel later how many times he'd climbed into the rafters, no doubt trying to play pranks on Charlain. For now though, he was more interested in getting out of the Palace without being imprisoned inside first.

Link, after he'd made Gabriel grin because of his comment, seemed to be on the same track as well, asking Risek, "So what's the easiest way out of here for all of us?"

Risek fixed the grip he had on Mirian, lifting her a bit higher and he turned to say, "I'm thinking through the Goddess Shrine, in the West Wing." He went on to add that the Shrine was built with a door that led out of the atrium in the back and onto a short walkway where a large oak tree stood. The tree itself wasn't close to the wall, but the branches had grown over it and were close enough that they could use the hookshot to climb out.

It was the best idea Risek could come up with on such a quick notice, and having seen Link using the device earlier, he figured it would be their best bet. But just to make sure it would work, he asked Link, "Would that be possible to do?"

Link gave a nod, "Yes, it would probably be a lot easier that way if the Shrine is closer than the stables."

"It is," Risek replied, then asked curiously, "Where did you get that device anyway?"

"The hookshot?" Link grinned, "Long story, I'll tell you later." In the meantime, they began to move again, taking the door in the back of the room to a separate hallway, and on the way out, Link asked Risek, "How's Mirian?"

He'd been consistently checking her to see if she was awake, but still no sign of consciousness. "I don't know," Risek told Link, "the same as when we left the King's study."

After telling Link this, they all wound up in a corridor that led down to the Shrine Risek had spoken of. With no time to worry over Mirian's condition further at that moment, the Prince pointed it out to them. It was a set of large double doors with an engraving of Althor's crest on them and golden handles at the center on each side.

There were still no signs of any guards, making Link wonder exactly where they might've gone or if the five of them could have really been that lucky. Somehow though, he didn't believe that to be the complete case, and he opened the door to the Shrine with that thought in mind, keeping himself prepared for an attack at any moment.

Inside were rows of pews lining the marble floor of the atrium and tall, standing candelabras at the end of each. Painted glass windows decorated the walls, and at the very end of the Atrium stood a podium with three statues behind it, one of Din, Nayru, and Farore. Each statue had a differing look upon the face of the goddess, but despite the expression, they all looked wise and caring in their own ways.

Link and his companions weren't the only ones who'd noticed them though. As they moved into the atrium, they all came to a stop when they saw Gerild standing at the head of the room near that podium, looking up at the three statues. He'd heard their footsteps and the door opening, and quietly turned around to face them all. In doing so, they heard a sound coming from behind them.

Looking back, they saw guards moving before the doorway they'd just used to enter the religious sanctum, and one of them placed a chain around the door's handles to seal it shut. Link rolled his eyes at the unoriginal plot twist now being experienced while attempting an escape.

Quietly, he asked Risek, "Do you think the door in the back has been chained as well?"

"Maybe."

"And Gerild has the key?"

"Probably."

"That's what I thought," Link grumbled, and without further ado, they both looked over in Gerild's direction.

The blonde man was stepping down from the podium, his gait strong and proper, coming to a stop at the landing. Once he was there, he spoke, "It's strange, the knowledge I now have. A short bit ago, waiting here after my father redirected me, I felt a surge of strength, and I knew that he had undone the mute on our powers."

"Did he send you here with the sole intent to create some kind of blockade?," Risek called over to him in stern question.

"Yes," Gerild replied, seeming a bit calmer than his normal reputation for anger would have made one think he'd be. "I think he knew all of this time that you would all come to him. Father _does_ have an unshakeable faith after all." Motioning to the statues behind him, Gerild added, "I never completely understood it, but I think now I do. I also know you must have found a way to temporarily incapacitate him, otherwise you would all be sealed inside of the Palace already."

Link sneered at the man, about to give him a retort when he heard a soft groan and looked over to see Mirian lifting her head from Risek's shoulder, muttering the word, "Ri...Risek?"

He'd been the first one she'd seen when she stirred, and she wasn't completely sure why until she realized only a second after she spoke his name that he was carrying her. With the realization, Mirian reached for her head, a splitting pain pulsing there, one she groaned softly over.

Risek looked down at her suddenly wakening face to ask, "Mirian? Are you alright?"

"I have a bad headache," she replied softly, "but I'm fine otherwise."

He looked relieved for that, but the struggle was still ongoing. Looking back over to Gerild, Risek told him with the utmost certainty in his voice, "Let us leave Gerild, or the result won't be pleasant."

"I'd like to think the unpleasant result would be on your end Risek, but we'll see. If you try to leave, you know I'm just going to stop you. Arrik told me with Lukas earlier what it is that you possess, and we _need_ it."

It was in that moment that a pebble suddenly shot forth and smacked Gerild against his temple, causing him to jolt a bit, though with no real damage done to him. Reaching up to the sting against his cranium, he turned a hard, steel colored gaze back over at them to see Gabriel glaring right in his direction, a sling shot in the young man's hands which he'd pulled from his belt beneath his dark blue cape.

"Let us go, Gerild!," Gabriel demanded. "Let us go, or I'll beat you myself!" He'd already loaded a second pebble, wishing he was big enough to carry the larger swords that the adults used, but for now, his sling shot would have to do. Gabriel tugged the rubber string back with Gerild's head in his sights again.

Link couldn't help a little smirk in the kid's direction, unable to help some amusement over the situation, and somehow remembered _being_ that kid when he'd run into a man named Casimir. Risek was settling Mirian on her feet when she'd silently asked him to while this had happened, apparently able enough to stand on her own despite her pounding headache. Once she was on her own two feet again, Risek reached and put a hand on Gabriel's shoulder to calm his brother a bit, though he'd been just as humored as Link had.

"How amusing," Gerild muttered out. "The young Prince attempting to grow up a bit by standing up for his friends."

Gabriel would've loosed his pebble right then, but he withheld it because his brother had temporarily gotten his attention by saying, "Gabriel, watch out for Mirian."Giving Risek a sure nod, glower still on his face, Gabriel let the rubber string go, the pebble flying forth to hit Gerild on the armor he wore covering his shoulder.

"I've got a lot more where those came from!," he yelled at Gerild before he took Mirian's hand. "You can tell Lukas he's next, if my brother doesn't beat you bloody first!"

Rolling his eyes, Gerild cast his gaze back to the adults of the party and focused on them instead of the brat Prince as he sometimes thought of Gabriel to be. Once he had, he asked Risek and Link in specific, "Do you _really_ want to engage me? Anamirian seems to be out of sorts, and your brother's safety is at risk. So is that of the Princess Zelda. You _do_ realize what's weighing against you, don't you?"

"Enough talk, Gerild," Link spoke sternly, drawing his sword from his back. "I think we know our odds. If you're blocking our path, we're just going to have to move you."

Risek still had possession of the blade Link had given him when they'd first arrived in the dungeons, and he held it with a firm grip in his hand. Behind them, Zelda stood with Mirian and Gabriel, having turned around to face the three guards who'd locked the doors on them and still presented a threat to them.

"Very well, guards, seize the boy and the Princess, and don't allow any harm to come to him," Gerild muttered out blandly, "as much as I'd like to say otherwise. The Princess, however, only harm her if she resists you."

The guards responded to Gerild's orders by moving away from the door they'd chained and toward the party that was now standing back to back. As the approached, Zelda reached for the sword that Hadinaru had his blacksmiths made for her, pushing her cloak over her shoulders so that it wouldn't hinder her in her effort to fight, an even, if not stern expression cast in her opponents directions from her delicate features.

"Whoa," Gabriel drew out, looking from Zelda and to the guards, "I think you picked the wrong Princess."

Link's back was against the wall, and he had no choice but to allow Zelda to fight in this instance. No doubt she was clinging to the last of her magical abilities and being very, very selective about how she used them, so a sword fight would have ensued. But Link actually felt sorry for those three guards. He did worry about Zelda, of course, but despite the fact that she hadn't had as long to train with a blade as your average soldier, she was clever - something he knew from first hand experience with training her.

It actually annoyed him a good bit.

The stage was set. Link and Risek was pitted against Gerild who, hopefully, wouldn't be as hard to contend with as his father and their commander, and they stood back to back with their comrades, facing down the guards.

Seeing this, Gerild slowly shook his head. "Now we'll see exactly what kind of mettle you have, Link. After all, I've been curious ever since the Princess arrived here with only one Knight to protect her to see just what that Knight was capable of."

Link lifted a brow in seeing the odd interest that Gerild had in facing him down, and he slung the Master Sword around in his left hand at a deft arc, Risek standing to his right also lifting his blade with readiness in his green eyed gaze. Once they'd both assumed stances, Link replied, "There's only one way to find out, Gerild."

Seeming to agree, the same type of white mist began to radiate out of Gerild that had done so with his father a short while ago, forming and solidifying into a set of armor over his body with spikes jutting up from his pauldrons and elbows, making him seem much larger and more intimidating. Holding up the pointed tips of his gauntlets as his face was covered by his helmet, a long, large spear formed into his hand, one made of what looked to be a silvery metal with a sharp blade jutting from each of the two ends which sported blue gems glinting at their bases.

At the same time, the guards began to advance on Zelda who'd waved a hand to Mirian and Gabriel behind her to tell them to move somewhere and hide without words. In the meantime, Zelda stood between the guards and their pursuit of the younger Prince of Althor.

In the time it took for this to commence, Zelda heard Link asking her, "Are you alright, love?"

"Just fine, why?"

"Well, it looks like my opponent has a big ego. Might take me a little while to get it popped."

"Take your time. I'll just be practicing in the meanwhile."

Gerild started laughing over the conversation, and his garbled voice spoke to them as he slung his spear around to the ready with a deft precision, "My ego is within reason. You'll now see why."

Link and Risek drew ready, and while Risek realized he was at a disadvantage because he was unarmored, he knew Link was also aware of that and would more than likely try to compensate. They moved without question. This was the only way out, so they charged forward.

To make his own compensation for his lack of armor, while he moved, Risek used his knowledge of the arcane to enhance his ability, as well as to put a bit of magical shielding up over his body so that at least he'd be able to manage a few blows before he really started getting hurt. This appeared in a blue glow encompassing his hand and trailing over his entire body in a blaze, as well as the guard's sword he now wielded.

Gerild moved at the same time, and his speed seemed surprising for how large and well armored he was, the floor of the atrium thudding beneath his feet. He met his opponents and one side of his spear clashed against Risek's sword, knocking it away, the front side hitting against the Master Sword Link had brought up deftly to stop his blow. Gerild then thrust his leg out and into Risek's gut to knock the Prince off balance before bringing the opposing side of his spear down onto Link.

Link retaliated by lifting his shield and took an open spot against Gerild's torso that the move had left open in the Knight, slashing his blade against the armor, which sounded in a loud scrape of metal. The Master Sword was strong enough to cut through that armor, and when Gerild heard the slice of the blade, he turned his arm and his spear back and swept the bar of his weapon up behind him to catch Risek's blade when the Prince tried to attack him from behind and stop the blow from landing.

Turning swiftly around swiftly, he swung a fist at Link who had to duck backwards, and came around to face Risek. Now having knocked Link backwards, he took off with a flurry of attacks against the Prince, one after the other that Risek had to continually move to block. But Risek's sword and his speed held true enough to keep his defenses up, his blade still glowing with the power he'd summoned.

When Link pushed himself back up from the ducking roll he'd made, he could hear blades behind him and knew that Zelda was apparently holding her own against the guards that had been sent after her. The sound was actually a comfort for him, and so he headed back toward Gerild in order to aide Risek.

The guards had been completely surprised. Not only had Zelda been the aggressor in the fight from the beginning - a trick Link taught her because she was a small lady, so for an enemy to be rushed by her would briefly confound them - but after the first few exchanges of their weapons back and forth which she performed gracefully just as she had on the training grounds with her fiancee, she'd managed to pull off an attack with her blade that knocked the first guard's sword away from his hand, which made the fight a bit more even.

When the weapon clinked onto the floor, Zelda turned and kicked it away from the guards grasp, the sword sliding beneath several pews. Coming back around, the swing causing her white skirts to float around her a bit before falling into place, she faced the three men once again and held her blade firmly with a glance that told the three she definitely wasn't just playing or practicing as she'd said she'd be doing.

"Alright, Missy," one of the guards said. "So you've got a little skill despite that fragile look you carry. Make this easy on all of us. After all, if you cooperate, we don't hurt you. Besides, it's still three on one."

Zelda raised a brow. "What's your point?," she asked in earnest, and her hands began to glow. She really was clinging to the last of her energies in the magic arts at this point, able to feel them rebuilding just as she would apparently arrive at a situation where she'd needed to use them again. This was definitely one of those situations she deemed worthy of using what little she'd been able to recover though.

Around the guards, five animated swords floating in midair formed like the one she held, and the guards held up their weapons quickly to face them, apparently surprised by the sudden turn of events. Zelda remembered the same look on Link's face as the guards had now when she'd done this very thing to him on the training grounds, turning the tables on the guards so that it was more like five on three, and one of them was without a weapon currently.

The spell wouldn't be as powerful as she could have made it - she knew that much - but if it helped her to overcome them, then it was well worth it. After all, she just needed to keep the upper hand and everything would be fine. Moving, the blades began to attack along with her, and meanwhile, in the pews, Gabriel had bent down to grab the sword that Zelda had kicked away from the guards.

Mirian gasped when she saw Gabriel with the blade, and despite the fact that it was almost the same height as its new master, Gabriel held it up the way he'd been trained to so far, ready to protect Mirian and himself if the guards came his way.

The battle between Gerild, Link, and Risek wasn't quite as one sided. It kept switching between upper hands. Gerild was fast, and when he moved, blurs of light trailed behind and over his armor, apparently powered by some force that the Knight hadn't previously had before now, otherwise that day in the field, they might not have needed horses to carry them at all depending on how long they could hold that speed up.

He would turn and rush the two of them with his spear outstretched in order to impale them with that speed behind his movements, and it was hard to avoid. Risek was hit once by the attack and knocked over. If it hadn't been for the shielding he'd summoned forth, he more than likely would have been killed by the blow.

Another thing that made Gerild a dangerous foe was that he apparently had the ability to summon up a wave of energy that he could shoot through his weapon when he swung it. The only notice Link and Risek had gotten from that attack was that when Gerild was about to perform it, his weapon began to glow a white color, and it told them they would have to do more than just dodge.

On such an instance, Link found himself rolling beneath the low swipe of Gerild's spear as the weapon began to glow. Gerild had turned to face Risek when he'd moved, and Link saw it coming. Risek's arm was raised, sword coming down, and the blast that erupted from Gerild's weapon erupted just in time to miss Risek when Link pushed himself into the Prince's side to knock him out of the way.

It hit Link's arm, and as Risek fell to the side, Link was knocked backwards through the center aisle of the atrium's pews with a yell of pain resounding. Risek hit the floor with a grunt, and immediately pushed himself over, looking up to see Link laying between there, unmoving.

"Link!"

The sound of Link's yell of pain followed by Risek's call of his name got Zelda's attention. She had held her own against the soldiers, getting a bit of help from Gabriel who'd proven to be a wonderful aim with his sling shot from the distance where he and Mirian were standing away from the fighting, and had used a few pebbles to ding against their helmets unwittingly, which would distract them for a moment and allow Zelda a little more help while she exchanged blows with her blade against theirs - and the summoned swords fighting alongside of her now.

That was, until the guard who'd been disarmed ducked a blow from a summoned blade, and the floating sword went against a stone pillar and shattered itself against it. That was the second sword that had been destroyed in such a fashion now, and as soon as he watched it shattering like broken glass, he felt a ping against his helmet and cringed a bit.

The man turned to face the young Prince standing between the pews with Mirian just behind him, slingshot in hand. When he faced them, Mirian took Gabriel's shoulders and the Prince leaned down after tucking his slingshot away to grab the sword and lift it, giving that guard a look that told him not to come their way.

The man snorted and then grinned in amusement at them both, heading right over to them.

Zelda had drawn her blade up against one of the guard's sides in the meantime, and he turned to knock her weapon away. She was forced to swing it down and backwards, and noticed he was about to lift his own weapon to try to turn it against her side and have her cornered against a pillar behind her. As he'd lifted his arm, she'd spotted a weak spot in his armor - the gap between his chest plate and pauldron. It was the shot she needed to keep from being cornered, and she lifted both hands to grasp the hilt of her blade.

Drawing the point toward the man, as he began to lower hi weapon against her, she stabbed forward, through the gap of his armor, and into his shoulder with a fierce jab. The tip protruded from the opposite side, covered in blood which in turn streaked down his back and chest beneath what he was wearing, and he let a yell of pain in response, dropping his weapon.

Zelda took a deep breath, eyes a bit wide at what she'd just accomplished. No, she hadn't killed him, but she'd taken his capability to fight away from him, and with a jerk of her arm, she pulled her blade back and let the man fall to the floor. Stepping to the side, her remaining two blades attacking the other guard of their own free will - their power definitely dwindling with he destroyed another of them, Zelda only took in her handiwork for a brief moment before she heard Link's name being called by Risek.

She gasped and looked up, moving ahead to see Link downed in the middle of the aisle, his arm bloody. Risek was pushing himself over to get up and stop Gerild from rushing Link, drawing his blade around at an arc before thrusting it ahead at the White Knight when Gerild got the upper hand he needed.

He used his spear to meet Risek's weapon, and the metal of his blade cracked, the sword breaking in half. Risek's shielding had expended itself. The hit was so hard, in fact, that it knocked the sword from Risek's hand completely, flying to the side, and Risek looked back up just in time to see Gerild kicking his leg out and into the Prince's gut, sending him flying backwards.

Link had just pushed himself up when Risek's heavy weight suddenly landed on him, knocking him back to the floor cheek first against the hard marble, bruising Link around the eye. Risek, at the same time, had no wind in his lungs, and was thankful he hadn't eaten that day since much, much earlier, otherwise he would have lost whatever he'd had on his stomach from the blow he'd just taken.

Gerild approached them both, chuckling lowly over the warrior's he'd just downed. While his armor wasn't as pristine as it had been when he'd first started - dings, scrapes, and even the tips of some spikes missing and marring it - he felt completely empowered to see this.

"You've stood against the Goddesses," Gerild told him as he approached, "and now learned why you should _not_."

As Gerild spoke, the walls began shaking suddenly and without current explanation. Stopping in his pace toward the downed allies, the large Knight looked up to see the trembling, feel it in his boots, before it slowly stopped. After a moment, he spoke the magically garbled words out, "My father has awoken. Soon, this entire Palace will be your prison."

Risek still didn't have the wind to ask him what he meant by the time he'd finished speaking, but he and Link both knew it wasn't good. He'd rolled off of Link, who pushed himself up slowly, glancing over at the Knight who's armor was now marred and even broken in spots thanks to the both of their efforts, including a broken gap in the helmet that allowed them to see a portion of Gerild's forehead which Risek had managed when Link had knocked Gerild's spear down with the Master Sword.

Link pushed himself to his feet to continue facing down his opponent, Risek right behind him and recovering from the blow he'd taken, and in that moment, they both heard Gabriel yelling to be let go of as a guard laughed behind them. Turning, they glanced over to see Mirian trying to struggle with the unarmed guard who'd grabbed Gabriel's arm and jerked the sword from his grip in a show of superior strength just before he grabbed him.

"Risek, go help them. You're unarmed. I can keep Gerild occupied."

Risek looked at Link, who urged him on with a waved hand, but the guard suddenly backhanded Mirian who had reached out for Gabriel and sent her to the floor completely while Gabriel yelled her name.

Risek didn't need anymore motivation than that.

He took off as fast as he could, into the pews where he stepped up onto a seat of one, then pushed his boot off of the back of the object, jumping toward the next before pushing himself toward the guard, landing on him from behind to knock him over completely.

They went tumbling, and Link, confident in the fact that Risek could handle the guard trying to capture his brother - as well as hitting Mirian, which, had it been Zelda, Link would've stabbed his sword down into the bastard immediately, so he definitely couldn't blame Risek - kept his eyes on Gerild - or one eye, the left starting to swell shut a bit.

Link had nothing to say, he just ran toward the White Knight. As he did, Gerild spun his spear around, and down onto Link's shield, moving back as the Hylian thrust his blade up, then down, keeping up enough speed that Gerild would have to defend instead of attack, alternating with using his blade and shield to knock the man's spear back.

The walls started shaking again briefly, and Risek, who'd just slammed his fist into the guards head, knocking him completely unconscious, helped his brother up and then went to go get Mirian as well. She was alright, though her head was apparently killing her now. But she insisted that she was alright, standing on her own two feet.

Zelda had nearly been attacked from behind not too long after Risek had gone after Mirian and Gabriel. She'd managed to see the man's shadow just before he could grab her however, and she'd turned and brought her blade up to keep the soldier from swiping his own down at her.

She stared up at him while he'd tried to force his strength over her, their blades scraping together, and she was having a bit of trouble because he was inherently stronger than she was. Zelda would've given anything to be able to summon up a blast of any type of magic to knock him backwards, but surprisingly enough, she didn't need it.

Quickly from the side, a pair of hands grasped the guard's arm, and Risek pushed his sword back with a grunt of effort, following the movement quickly by balling his fist and swinging his arm up to connect it with his nose. As the punch was landed, a crunch of bone was hear, the soldier's nose broken beneath the Prince's fist, and he stumbled backward and fell over.

Zelda was definitely grateful for the intervention. She'd had good lessons taught to her, but she still wasn't quite as adept at swordplay as Link was, and her summoned swords had since been destroyed. But with this turn of events, two unconscious guards and another who'd had his shoulder impaled, they knew what was left - Gerild. And from the way the walls trembled briefly again, they knew they didn't have much time.

They all glanced over at the fight between Link and Gerild, and Zelda said, "Risek, I can get Mirian and Gabriel to the back door, and we'll wait for you there. You can help Link. Here."

She turned her blade to him since he currently had no armaments, and Risek gave a nod, taking the sword to use. "Go then, we'll be right behind you both."

Zelda turned and moved with the two she'd promised to take to the back without hesitation, an arm over Mirian's shoulder and her hand in Gabriel's. As they went to the area hidden behind the three Goddess statues, Risek realized in the brief moment he had before he took off toward the fight to catch Gerild off guard that he truly did miss his cutlass when he noticed the royal insignias of the Hylian royalty on the blade he held - not to mention the color it'd been inlaid with. Not that he could complain, a sword was a sword right now.

Much more importantly, he missed his typical armor, or for lack of something better, just a decent shirt.

But he had no choice just then, and focused on the battle ahead, moving toward it while Gerild was unwitting of his advance.

Link had moved to the side when Gerild's spear came down so hard it busted through the pews, sending out a burst of energy meant for the Hylian which ended up knocking up chunks of wood into the air. When he did so, Link could see behind Gerild that Risek was rushing him, so Link did what he could and distracted the Knight, making him turn his back completely to Risek to leave the Prince completely open to attack the man.

The swing he made with the Master Sword was countered by the center of Gerild's spear, and the loud clash of metal was replied to with a hard shove. Link had to take a few steps back in the face of Gerild's push against his sword, but Risek was already there.

The Prince turned Zelda's blade in his hand and thrust it forward, sending the sharp tip into the back of the worn down armor of the Knight they'd been fighting with, apparently piercing it just enough so that it stabbed into Gerild's back before the powerful armor he wore stopped Risek's forward-thrust altogether.

Gerild let a yell of pain, and the brief moment was all Link needed. Without a second thought, Link turned his arm, and made the same forward thrust with his blade. The tip of the Master Sword went flying into the front of Gerild's helmet where they'd previously managed to slice a gap, stabbing into the metal completely until it erupted from the other side.

Gerild's anguished yell was immediately silenced.

Link and Risek both stood where they were for a moment with intense sneers on their faces before they both tugged their swords away at the same time. When they did, Gerild's body crumbled forward onto the floor of the atrium with a loud clunk of metal, dead. The spear he'd wielded rolled away from his hand, and Link turned and swiped the Master Sword to the side before flipping it up and shoving it down into the sheath on his back in a single deft movement.

"Hope you can approve of my performance, Gerild."

Risek had slung Zelda's blade around to hold it at his side, looking on at the Knight they'd just taken out, and as he lay there, the armor he'd worn started shifting away from his body in white mists, his weapon disappearing in a flash of light.

As that mist rose up and floated away from Gerild's body, dispersing into white particles, it formed into the upper body of a white dragon letting a roar of defeat before it disappeared completely, the two victors watching it quietly. Link took in his breath and let it out slowly, eye swollen and arm bleeding, Risek also a good bit bruised, the back of his right hand busted open from punching two men still wearing helmets, but they were both completely fine aside from that, and glanced across at one another.

"Zelda loaned you her sword?"

Risek nodded to Link's question, replying with, "I thought I would...use my brain to help us out of this."

Link grinned as Risek quoted his lines to the guards from earlier outside of the king's study, but both of them became distracted. The walls started to tremble again, reminding them that more had to be done before this could end.

Link looked up with narrowed brows, saying, "I don't like the sound of that."

"No, Gerild said his father was trying to imprison us. Let's go, Zelda, Mirian, and Gabriel are waiting at the door."

Nodding, Link turned to follow in behind Risek, leaving Gerild's body behind completely beneath the watchful gazes of the Goddess Statues. Maybe, under their care now, he would find a little revelation.


	51. Faith

_Chapter 52 - Faith_

The five companions set out into the yard after the fight with Gerild and through the pouring rains to the large oak tree that Risek had spoken of earlier. All of them were getting soaked, but they didn't care. The ground had taken to shaking as soon as they'd gotten outside much more than it had before, and as they stopped near the large oak tree, Link peered up to see a few branches growing over the wall just ahead of him that he could use the hookshot to latch onto.

He told Risek to take Mirian first, then he'd have Zelda take Gabriel, and follow by himself afterwards. Once he'd made the comment to them, he aimed and fired off the hookshot which wedged itself in a branch that loomed over the top of the thick wall surrounding the palace about twenty feet up, and then handed it to Risek, showing him how it worked. When he had it down, the Prince hauled Mirian with him to the top of the wall and released the chain so it was tugged back into the handle.

Going in just the order Link had set out, they would toss the hookshot back to Link each time someone made it to the top of the outer wall surrounding the Althorian Palace without too much trouble until all five of them had made it. The grounds continually quaked during the process. Steadily, that rumbling got louder and louder, and Link landed in a puddle built up from the rain on the top of the cement wall before he moved over to Zelda quickly, fearing it was already too late.

"Send that orb out now," he told her, "before we're stuck here."

Zelda had already begun working on what Link was asking her to do. A bright light had formed between her gloved hands as she held them up and apart from each other while the rains continued to drench all of them to the bone, the golden light glowing softly and taking next to no energy to form. After a moment of concentration, it sprang forth to life, taking off like the sparkling orb of a fairy would fly to rush away from Zelda's hands and over the wall, disappearing into the distance.

"What was that?," Mirian asked softly, standing against Risek's side with Gabriel just in front of her.

"A guide," Zelda replied, "to lead our escape to us."

They knew to take Zelda's word for it, all of them just a bit too anxious in that moment to expect a full explanation. "I hope it hurries," was all that Risek said in response, a bit pensive about what could be happening. "The rumbling's much louder now than before."

Indeed he was right, it was becoming nearly deafening, so much so that they all turned to stare at the palace amidst the shaking. It was now building to a climax, and a light caught their eyes from the grounds below them. Suddenly, as they watched, a barrier shot up and around the Palace itself, reaching to the skies in a swirling white light, expanding upwards and outwards to make a dome shape around the royal home. It had formed inside of the wall, not fifty feet from where they stood just outside of it, turning the palace into a prison that would have kept them inside if they'd still been in the atrium at that time fighting Gerild.

The quaking continued on until the barrier had formed itself completely, swirls of energy running through it in blue tones with an ominous whir sounding behind the force of the magic, the glow casting off of the five faces watching it with the same hue. All in Althor would be able to see it, a silent but very visible warning that the Palace had been locked down, and Risek's thoughts suddenly went to his father being trapped inside.

Risek wanted to let a bellow of anger at the thing, but he knew that would do nothing to help anyone. He swore in that moment he'd make the White Knights pay for everything they'd done to him, his family, and to his kingdom even if it took his last breath.

Link had felt a bit of relief. This barrier was powerful and showed that Arrik had truly unleashed the original power of the dragon scale he apparently possessed, but he'd been a bit too late in forming it. Knowing that all five of them had gotten out of the Palace safely minus a few bumps and bruises definitely made him feel better. He held Zelda against his side while he considered that, knowing that as long as they were outside of the prison, there was still a good chance to win.

While waiting for Zelda's orb to bring their escape to them, Zelda unwittingly, or perhaps wittingly after all, eased Risek's worry by saying, "King Seriun should be safe inside for now. If they still want Risek to join them, they'll have to keep him alive. I have no doubt they'll eventually use him against us, but for now, he should be safe."

Hearing those words actually did relieve Risek a bit. Seriun _was_ more use to them alive than dead after all.

His thoughts became distracted though when he heard a voice. Below them while they stared, the orb had come back, leading Renard along to where they were just as Zelda had told him it would before she and Link left for the Palace. Holding a hood over his head and glancing up through a somewhat squinted gaze when he watched the orb climbing the wall to show him where they were, he tugged on the reigns to stop his wagon completely.

"Hey! Down here!"

Link turned and looked back when the voice sounded, poking his head over the wall to see the wagon down below. When Renard spied his nephew in return, he called up, "What in the name of Farore is that!"

"Long story," Link replied, "but we're coming down now. Just hold on."

Renard gave a thumbs up as to not make too much noise and attract any attention that might've been close by, steadying his horses while waiting on the five of them to work their way down from the wall, which they did with Link's hookshot again. Once on the ground safely, they began the task of climbing into the back of Renard's covered wagon.

Renard was toting crates and boxes back there, and had cleared out a space for all of them to settle behind, complete with a tarp to pull over their heads if anyone came calling while he drove them out of Palace Town. He'd also settled a few pillows and blankets in back because he'd figured they would be tired and need to rest. With a whole night's worth of a ride ahead of them to Thicket Moore, it would be the perfect time to do so as well.

Link pushed open the flap behind Renard when they were all inside of the wagon, and told the Hylian, "Alright, we're all in. Let's get out of here."

"Got it," Renard replied, tugging his hood over his head more securely in order to block the rain out before grabbing the reigns of his horses and tapping them against their hind flanks.

The wagon started moving, and Link, who had Zelda sitting next to him, allowed her to tie a bandage around his arm from a strip of her cloak until she could do something further for the wound he'd sustained, looked over to see Risek settling himself between Mirian and Gabriel against the wall of the traveling cart. With a sigh of breath now that they actually had time to actually breathe, the Prince had looked from the back of the clothe covered carriage they were riding in to see the Palace, and the dome of blueish-white magic surrounding it now.

Outside of the wagon, he could hear some chattering in the distance, as if people were looking from their windows and exiting a few buildings to take a gander at what was going on with the royal home. Althor was being steadily driven into chaos, and Risek felt utterly powerless to stop it.

Link knew it pained him, and after assuring Zelda that he was fine when she looked more closely at his swollen eye, settling his arm around her back to hold her beside himself for warmth since they were all soaked through, he told the Prince, "Don't worry. We'll fix this. There's always a way, no plan is fool proof, especially not to the fool." Once he said that, and Risek glanced over, Link smiled as if he might've been a prime example.

"Well, considering what we're up against, we _must_ be foolish _somehow_," Risek replied with a deep breath exhaled slowly, though he had found a bit of humor in the way Link had said his words. Then he realized he hadn't asked about their escape, and waved a hand, "Who's driving this carriage anyway? I noticed he's a Hylian."

"Actually, he's my Uncle," Link informed Risek. "His name is Renard. I didn't even know about him until today." Link began to explain how they met, and finished by telling him, "When we watched your flogging, Renard suggested a getaway wagon, and we thought the idea had merit. So he's going to take us to Thicket Moore now, where Aggie is, and if guards run into us, we'll have to stay hidden under the tarp, as a part of the supplies he's supposedly taking with him to Newbern. Renard's been around enough that he's pretty confident he can get us through the gates without much problem."

Nodding his head in understanding, Risek looked at Gabriel when the young Prince leaned against his side, and he put an arm over the boy's shoulders. "Are you alright?"

"I'm worried about father."

Hearing his younger brother's concerns made him comfort Gabriel by patting his arm gently. "Don't, Gabriel, he'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Risek replied, and though the reasoning behind _why_ Seriun would be fine pained him to know, he added the words, "I'm very sure."

Gabriel seemed to believe him, though he didn't look very content with the situation, and rightfully so. As he grew quiet again, Mirian reached up to rub her head, feeling like she might pass out once more, teeth chattering with the cold.

"I'm f-f-freezing," she couldn't help but stutter out.

"There's some blankets back there," came Renard's voice from the front seat of the wagon. "Sorry, forgot to mention that. Look in a wooden lidded box. Blankets and pillows to make the ride more comfortable."

Risek, who was closest to the boxes - aside from Gabriel - looked over at them and saw the box Renard spoke of. Reaching for it, he tugged the lid off of the top and reached inside, pulling out a folded blanket which he handed to Mirian, then another, giving the second to Zelda who'd reached for it. A third was inside as well, and Risek handed that one to Gabriel to use alone since he knew first hand just how much of a blanket-thief his brother could be.

Following that, he dug the pillows out of the bottom, three of those as well. Link used one to lean against, Gabriel got one, and Risek told Mirian to lay her head against the third. She apparently wasn't in any condition to argue because she did so with a slightly pained expression on her face.

Gabriel had set up his own pillow and blanket, which was big enough that he could use it as a pallet and still have some left to cover himself with, and while he got situated, he looked over and asked, "Mirian, are you alright?"

"Yes," she breathed out softly. "I'm just exhausted."

Gabriel watched her, concern alight in his blue eyes, before finally, he added the question most of them had been wondering about, "What did you do to Arrik?"

Slowly, Mirian's golden eyes opened. She was unsure precisely what she'd done to the man, but she knew what mattered most - she hadn't stopped him from unmuting the powers he now had freely at his disposal.

Seeing the look on her face, Risek knew she was confused, and he told Gabriel, "We'll talk about it later. Let's all rest for now."

Mirian's eyes closed again, knowing Risek was right, and rest was needed. Too tired to restrain herself, she pulled her body closer to Risek's and softly asked him to sit up. Once he had, she put a part of the pillow behind him and then laid her head against his shoulder. Risek held to her, ignoring any dips in the road that they came across, and they all drifted into their own thoughts while waiting to see what might happen once they reached the gates of the town.

Zelda had leaned against Link, shivering, wanting to seek his warmth. Link let her, resting where he was quietly while he let his thoughts travel. His sword and shield now rested against the wall behind his fiancee, his head against his arm, pillow behind his back, and his ears listening for the sounds that could take place outside and alert them to danger before it was too late saying any arose.

When he recounted everything that had gone on, he suddenly spoke and broke the silence that had befallen them. "The one thing I don't understand is what knocked Arrik out to begin with, and I mean, _after_ whatever it was that Mirian did to him."

"Sage powers," Zelda informed him. "I sensed it as soon as it presented itself."

"Sage powers?," Link asked.

"Yes, but which Sage I'm uncertain. It happened too fast and too suddenly to tell. Still, it's apparent that we have a friend with us in the shadows."

"I'll keep that in mind," Link nodded, "it's good to know we have a silent ally in all of this."

"Guys," came the voice of the driver from outside of the wagon's cover, and Renard lifted the flap to look back inside at them, "I'm going to need you to use the tarp. The gates are just ahead, so just pretend you're not actually there."

Giving Renard their agreements, they took the tarp and began to pull it over themselves. Once it was in place, Link holding the top of it solidly stretched out over his head while Risek had done the same, they felt the wheels of the vehicle coming to a stop just as the sound of a guard yelling for them to halt hit all of their ears.

The five of them waited patiently, and eventually, what sounded like a friendly greeting began to sound around them, Renard saying hello to someone he apparently knew. Renard said he knew a lot of people, so it stood to reason he knew whoever was guarding the gates. Link could only hope his uncle had a good bit of charisma, and would be able to keep them from wanting to check the back of the wagon before he left.

Amongst the chattering, another voice sounded, which only seemed to delay their departure, but Link gave Zelda a curious look. The voice sounded familiar. As soon as he had that thought however, and finally, the wagon started moving again, which relieved all of them tremendously.

But they weren't coming out from under the tarp until they'd gotten word from Renard that the coast was clear, which he gave after just a few more minute's time. "Alright, you can feel a little safer now. We're down the hill and out of their sight for the moment. Got a friend with us too."

"Friend?," Link asked as he stuck his head out of the tarp. Pushing the cover away with everyone else, they heard a soft thud and looked toward the back of the wagon to notice that a tied bundle of what looked to be clothing had just landed near them.

"Surprise!," came a voice from just outside following the instance, and they all looked up to see a face that only Link and Zelda would recognize while the red headed woman continued to speak, "There's some clothing for the Prince. It's why it took me so long to catch up, had to make a stop to steal them. You can have me arrested later if you really want, Your Highness," she told Risek directly, "but I figured you'd be appreciative either way."

Link's jaw dropped as he exclaimed, "Nabooru!"

"In the flesh, kid," she grinned, her horse keeping up with the wagon easily while she dismounted it, tethering the reigns to the back of Renard's vehicle before she grabbed the edges and climbed inside with them, settling herself against the boxes toward the exit while facing inside, confident smile in place on her face. She was wearing a cloak that had a hood resting around her shoulders, currently exposing her long, red ponytail and bronzed skin, but aside from a little more clothing beneath that cloak, she was still the same old Nabooru that Link and Zelda both remembered.

"What are you doing here?," Link asked her. "Zelda said she sensed a Sage's power, but I still didn't expect to see you."

Nabooru's grin seemed to be a permanent one. "Well, I _am_ one to make an entrance, or have you forgotten that, you silly kid," she snickered out. "Actually," with a wave of her hand and leaning on the boxes against her elbows, she added in explanation, "I received a lovely request from Zelda's father to be the Ambassador of Hyrule. He made that request a few weeks ago now. And don't say it, I know what you're thinking. Ambassador Nabooru," she spoke as if these were their thoughts, in a dreamy fashion no less, "why, that has a _lovely_ ring to it!"

Though they didn't know her, Gabriel was smiling right along with Mirian, and Risek could have swore he'd heard her name before. "You're a Gerudo, aren't you?," he asked curiously.

"Yes, I am," Nabooru nodded, "I taught Link everything he knows. Well, almost. Oh, and these _should_ fit you. If not, then I tried," she said, handing the bundle over. "Gonna arrest me?"

Risek snorted, taking the clothing before replying, "Maybe later. I'll even let you try to run if you want."

Nabooru started grinning, letting the Prince untie the clothing she'd taken for him, and while he unfolded a dark blue tunic that was in the collection Nabooru had hastily grabbed, she explained her story further.

"The Gerudo used to come here a lot, and with diplomacy opening, we'd decided what the hey, you know? Let's go back to Althor and see what they have to offer now. But the news traveling about got us curious, not to mention what I heard from Myriad, so I started asking questions once we arrived, and we've been keeping an eye open ever since, even managed to save a few people from burning alive in a home a couple of days ago now. I met _Bowe_ there," she grinned, knowing his name was actually Aggie, "and helped him relocate everyone in danger before coming back to Palace Town."

That's when she started shaking her head over the thought of the townsfolk being left in a house to burn alive. "I know that wasn't _your_ decision, Risek, and it's not that I'm against Althorian capital punishment at all, but burning someone alive for _supposed_ crimes? That's just not kosher."

While everyone in the wagon completely agreed with her, though a few of them might not've chosen her specific wording, they were surprised to hear that this was how Aggie had managed to escape the fire.

"Aggie?," Risek asked, genuinely surprised, though as per usual, he didn't convey it much in expression. Settling himself back now with a proper shirt on finally, which he was immensely grateful for, he added, "He never mentioned anyone in his letter."

"Aw, he sent you a letter and didn't mention me?" Nabooru pursed her lips, but she was smiling, "I'll just have to forgive him. Probably did it to keep my name and the identity of my people out of it anyway. But more importantly," she went on, looking at the Hylians, "over the past few days, I had two girls follow Arrik to Meley to see what he was up to. The rumors flying about effect Aggie's efforts of protecting the villagers after all, so we need to know what's what. Well, they came back with the most unexpected news. They overheard Arrik speaking with some man named Alarun about making sure to keep fanning the fires because revolt would be had, it was simply a matter of time, and they needed the focus off of themselves."

"I knew when I heard that," she continued, "that Arrik was in on this whole mess, trying to keep everyone on their toes with talk of revolting so the White Knights wouldn't be the center of attention. Meanwhile, I also find out that my Princess is a fugitive, and so is my favorite kid in all the world. I couldn't just sit back and do nothing."

"So I began to follow you two about, that was, when I saw you heading to the Inn where Renard was staying. Someone would think I'm Impa with the way I managed to keep myself in the shadows," she grinned arrogantly. "Then, when I saw the flogging, which by the way," she lifted a finger at Risek, "_also_ _not_ kosher, I decided that a trip to the Palace was in order, though I stuck to patrolling the outer walls most times. I knew you'd be coming along for Risek, and I wanted to make sure to watch your backs without anyone knowing I was about. After all," Nabooru looked at Risek and Mirian, "Link thinks he's _so_ skilled with his pretty sword and his nice, pointy hat. I love one upping him."

She gave Link a meaningful grin, and Link smiled over it. "Alright, so you saw everything from outside and then attacked Arrik."

Nabooru grumbled, "When I saw that no good, sniveling little snot without his armor on through the window, threatening you all, I knew I had the perfect opportunity."

They smiled over the name she'd called the Ambassador, which wasn't necessary, but completely true. Link, however, wanted to know, "Who else is with you?"

"Not many, five in all including me. They're all in Thicket Moore now. As well as one girl who's heart was broken by an engagement ring."

Masita, Link thought. Glancing over, he saw Zelda's smile, and hoped she wasn't about to tease him for something. But the teasing actually came from an unlikely source.

Risek, curiously, looked at Link and asked, "Previous girlfriend?"

"No," Link shook his head, giving Risek a stern look. "No, she wasn't."

Zelda was snickering softly now, and Risek's curiosity skyrocketed. "Are you sure? Zelda seems to disagree."

The lighthearted talk was much needed, even if Link did want a subject change drastically while Zelda's snickering only increased. So, in an effort to make that change, he looked over at Nabooru and asked, "So are you coming with us?"

Grinning, Nabooru nodded her head, "That I am. But I'm going to hang behind and scout, that is, unless anyone wants me to go steal a few things like some horses, because I know you're lacking in that arena. I can always catch up."

"No, that's fine," Link shook his head. "No need to stir up anymore bee's nests."

Nabooru narrowed her gaze at him. "Are you insinuating I'd get caught?" Chuckling when Link rolled his eyes playfully, she added, "Well, I've already stolen the Prince's horse. Sorry Risek. He's a beautiful steed though."

"You stole my horse?," Risek asked, somewhat surprised.

"Alright, I did it on purpose for you," Nabooru admitted, grinning. "I knew he was yours after pretending to be a breeder to get into the royal stables and asking a bunch of questions. You know, this is why I like coming to Althor so much. People here are so friendly. Well, when not brainwashed into believing their Prince is some kind of traitor that is, and being coaxed into revolting as well. I almost didn't think the stable master was going to let me in."

Risek gave Link and inquisitive look, and in return, Link shrugged, "She does that."

Shaking his head over the news, Risek asked Nabooru in return, "Any plans on _keeping_ my horse?"

"No," Nabooru smirked, "like I said, taken solely for your use. After all, I knew you put a lot of stock into that animal, and thought to myself 'what would a Prince reward for keeping his prized mount safe'?"

Gabriel was snickering, and looking over at all of them, he said, "I like her," then grinned at Nabooru.

The Gerudo winked at the kid, then she pushed herself up. "Alright guys, I'm going to go riding. You need to get some rest, and I'm going to make sure no one's following us. I'll be around if I'm needed, and we should reach Thicket Moore in the morning."

"Thanks Nabooru," Link said as she turned to jump from the wagon. "I can't thank you enough actually."

"I know," she called back on an amused voice. "All in a Gerudo's day's work."

Smiling when he heard her goading her horse off to scout for threats, Link spoke up, "She's a sight for sore eyes." He saw Zelda nodding her agreement.

Mirian, who'd just covered her mouth with a yawn, added, "She seems spirited."

Mirian wondered why the words made Link and Zelda smile, realizing why when Zelda explained, "That's probably why she's the Sage of Spirit."

"Oh," Mirian lifted her brows. "Well, that _does_ fit her."

"I still like her," Gabriel grinned, snickering softly. "She stole Risek's horse." Apparently, that fact amused the young royal immensely.

Risek smiled down at his brother, then watched him yawning. They were all tired from the events of the day, except for Risek who'd blacked out for part of it, and had been made to feel much better when Zelda had healed him in the dungeons. So, he informed them, "Well, she's right about one thing, we'll need to rest for the ride to Thicket Moore."

Link nodded, his eyes having already closed. "Agreed. Tomorrow we can figure out what we need to do."

However they were going to stop Arrik, that was the next question on their list. Whatever they did next was going to be an important decision.

The doors flew open, and Lukas pushed a guard to the side as he entered the foyer and made his way toward the atrium. As he moved, his speed only increased, until he was running, thoughts of what he'd heard pushing him onwards. Soon enough, he made it to his destination, and he slowed his momentum down finally coming to a stop at what he saw ahead of himself.

Guards had moved the body, but Gerild was laying there now, dead, his only brother. Lukas' gaze could've melted steel, seeing his little brother settled atop a stretcher they were had prepared to carry him off on to prepare the body for a funeral, the men surrounding him stopping the moment that Lukas had entered the room.

"It was Risek," came a voice from behind him, and after a brief pause, she added, "and Link. They injured your father and then fled the palace. Gerild tried to stop them, but he failed."

Charlain came to a stop about three feet behind Lukas, and the man continued to stair ahead as she told him what had happened. After a moment, he finally asked, "How is Father?"

"Fine, recovering from the blast. Some unknown magic assaulted him. I'm thinking that Link and Princess Zelda have an ally we weren't privy to."

Relaxing a bit in hearing that his father was fine, uncaring of a third party, Lukas balled his fist, a bit of his blonde hair hanging free from his ponytail from how he'd hurried so swiftly into the atrium to see if the rumors were true or not. He didn't mourn his brother's loss, because he knew his brother had died serving his goddess, and would be rewarded in the afterlife. Gerild was reaping the benefits of his service now.

There was only one question on Lukas's mind, and he asked, "What of the amulet?"

Charlain looked down, "Anamirian."

"The chambermaid?"

"Yes. She is apparently a...dragon master. Her blood awoke when Arrik unsealed the powers of the White Dragon, and took the amulet from him."

Lukas absorbed that information, and Charlain waited for him to give her a response. She looked up to see if he would say anything, when suddenly, a hard hand struck her across her cheek. Lukas had turned to slap her in anger, hard enough to make her fall over, and as she lay there, hand flying to her cheek, eyes wide, turning up to her husband, she watched as he glared down at her, bellowing to the men who were in the room, "Leave us!"

Charlain had no idea why her husband had just struck her, though she could only guess it had to do with the amulet. Surely he didn't place the entire fault of this ordeal on _her_ shoulders. As the men who'd been in the room left at Lukas' command, and the doors shut behind them, the resounding thud echoing throughout the chamber, she watched her husband crouching down near her, knowing she was about to find out.

"My father has given you _everything_," Lukas nearly hissed, lowly and pointedly, "and you couldn't even manage to keep the amulet. Who knows what they'll be able to do with it. Possibly even rouse Boemith from his slumber. Did you ever think of that?"

His words were like a venom, and Charlain glared back at him coldly, ready to speak when she heard Arrik's voice from the door saying, "Enough, Lukas. Do I have to remind you of your temper? _Again_?"

Lukas looked up to see his father standing in the doorway. The older, white haired man looked a little worn, but no worse for the wear, and he walked into the atrium and shut the door behind himself before turning to face the two. As he did, and stepped away from the door, Charlain scrambled to her feet, rushing out, "You should be resting."

"No, I'm," he took in a breath, "fine, for the moment. The broken seal is making me stronger. I knew Lukas would come back once he'd gotten the news, so I headed down."

Lukas had stood up straight, and as Arrik stopped near them, proving he was weak from the attacks earlier by settling himself down onto a pew, he listened as Lukas said, "Should I take the men and track them down?"

"Oh, no, no," Arrik shook his head, sounding every bit the kind old man he had from the very start, and he leaned back against his seat to look up at them both. "I don't think you're the best choice to send, Lukas. You're full of anger, and I don't want Risek harmed."

Lukas couldn't help himself from narrowing his brows, and he leaned a hand against the back of the pew just in front of his father so that he could be more eye level with him. "Risek could foil everything. He has the Triforce of Power, the same Triforce that Gannondorf held, the same Triforce than awoke the dragon blood in our veins. How do we know Risek couldn't reverse it? He also has the amulet, the last Dragon Master of Boemith, yet you _don't_ want him harmed?"

"No, I want his eyes opened," Arrik told his son, looking up at him. "This is why I question your following in my footsteps, Lukas. You're too full of rage, and you _have_ to let that go. He has the three pieces we need. The Goddess Din granted him her very essence to use at his disposal, _should_ he ever learn how to use it. Gannondorf awoke what we already possessed, but he did it for his own whims. Now he is vanquished, and one of our own, an Althorian, though not of dragon blood, possesses the piece of the relic that reminded us of who and what we are. It is a blessing to us, no matter how blinded Risek may be by skepticism and faithlessness in his creators. It will take time, but he _will_ come back to us of his own accord. It's the Hylians I'm more interested in tracking down. I've dispatched our numbers to find them, but only them."

Lukas took in a breath and stood up straight once more, waving a hand in question as he asked, "What of the chambermaid?"

"She poses no threat to us. Her dragon's blood may have awoken in her, but she knows nothing of what she is. If you fear she'll awaken the sleeping dragon, you fear needlessly."

"Or perhaps you don't worry _enough_," Lukas insisted. "Link and Zelda _could_ have a profound influence on her."

"No doubt," Arrik nodded in agreement, "but not in time to sabotage us. Besides, with the seal of our powers broken, we'll be able to summon back the Drakes, and those will definitely put a kink in any plans the Hylians could formulate."

Lukas got a look of discovery on his face, as if he'd forgotten the newly released powers that they'd just acquired, and the benefits of having them. In seeing his enlightened expression, Arrik began to nod, asking, "Now do you see why I think you fear needlessly? We'll send them out over the lands of Althor come dawn. What I want from _you_ is to keep your eyes open in this kingdom. I want to know the moment Risek steps foot on these streets again, or one of those Hylians."

Nodding his head, Lukas gave his father a respectful bow and then turned to leave, doing exactly as he'd been instructed to. Charlain watched him, fingering her cheek for a moment, then turned her gaze to Arrik when the man spoke again.

"My dear, don't allow Lukas's temper to anger you. I promise you it will all turn out right in the end. Have I made a promise I've broken yet?"

"No," Charlain shook her head. "You haven't. I'm sorry I couldn't do more when they took the amulet."

"Say no more," Arrik interrupted. "And don't worry. Things happen for a reason." Arrik stood up, turning to head back out of the atrium with Charlain following him. "You just continue doing what you've been doing, and all will be fine."

As they walked, Charlain nodded, and she told the men to go fetch Gerild's body so they could have the funeral prepared. She knew Arrik wasn't completely grieving for his son's death because the man's faith in his Goddess was unshakeable. Lukas likely felt the same. So Charlain simply left and considered what it was that Arrik had told her to do.

She would have to give her father another dose of the potion soon. She didn't want him to awaken, especially not now of all times.


	52. Planning

_Author's Note: Oh my god, hi! Just a short note to say hello, here's an update, and it's LONG. I kind of had to make it that way however, because there was so much to catch up on. So I hope you enjoy it! :D -GieGie_

_Chapter 53 - Planning_

Risek was the last of anyone to fall asleep. On one side, Gabriel had become a cover hog and curled up on the floor of the wagon, peacefully asleep, and on the other, while Risek had tried to straighten a blanket wrapped oddly around his brother's arm, he felt something hit his shoulder, and looked over to see Mirian, who'd also dozed off next to him.

Risek wasn't too sure how to respond at first, wondering if he should've moved her, or if he should just let her stay there, and he glanced over to see that Zelda was in much the same position against Link, both of them sound asleep. For a few moments, he considered that the Hylians would do well when they were married, and felt guilty for ever telling Link otherwise. So instead of moving Mirian so that she'd be more comfortable, he turned and gently put an arm around her, then found her snuggling into his side in her sleep. It was more comfortable than he'd thought it would be, but then, he was learning things seemed to be a surprise when it came to Mirian lately anyway.

"Risek?"

The whispered word got the Althorian Prince's attention, and he looked down to see Gabriel staring up at him from his blanket-made pallet on the floor of the wagon. "Did I wake you?," Risek asked.

Gabriel shook his head. "The wagon bumped."

Understanding, Risek told him, "I see. Well, go back to sleep, it hasn't been that long."

Gabriel gave a nod, looking at his brother and Mirian, how she was settled against him, then over at Link and Zelda for a moment. He seemed to have his thoughts, and finally looked back at Risek to ask him, "Do you love Mirian?"

Risek's first instinct after years of denying himself was to say no, and he almost did just that, but he managed to stop himself. Instead, he fought his initial instinct and gave a nod of his head, deciding that Gabriel deserved the entire truth. "Yes. I have for a long time." Even just saying it to his little brother seemed to make a weight flutter away from his shoulders and somehow he grew even more comfortable.

The affirmation seemed to make Gabriel happy, because he smiled brightly, if not sleepily. "I'm glad."

"Why is that?," Risek asked curiously.

"Because she's so nice, and you _need_ someone who's nice. Father likes her too." In some sense, Gabriel's words almost sounded chiding.

A smile worked it's way onto Risek's lips, and he thought about that for a moment. Seriun _had_ seemed to be fond of Mirian. Risek could remember the King buying her candy when he and her brother, Marcelle were young teens, and she was even smaller, a good time before Gabriel was born, and not long after Mirian's own father had died. Seriun would get them candy and hand it to the boys, then make Mirian guess which hand he held hers in to 'win it' so to speak.

Of course, Seriun had done a good bit of raising Mirian himself, so Gabriel was right about how the King of Althor was fond of her. Through his thoughts, he heard Gabriel saying as he got comfortable again, "She's more of my sister than Charlain is."

Risek sighed out a breath. The fond memory of his father and knowing what had happened to him at his sister's hands weighed heavily on the eldest Prince's mind, but he had to remember that Gabriel was younger, and such an instance probably hurt him much worse. Risek wasn't completely sure if Gabriel knew what Charlain had done in complete truth, but he knew that Gabriel understood she wasn't helping the situation at _all_, only making matters worse.

"Don't worry about Charlain," Risek said softly. "We'll talk about that tomorrow. Just rest for now."

Gabriel gave a groggy nod, apparently already dozing back off to sleep, and as he did, Risek turned to lean his cheek against Mirian's head out of what he almost felt was simply instinct.

Across from them, after things had been silent for a few moments, Link opened his eyes. He'd heard everything, and saw Risek and Mirian settled together so comfortably now. Letting his eyes shut again, he smiled a bit, hoping they found approval to stay the way they were now as he'd found the approval to stay with Zelda. With the thought, he tightened his arm around Zelda's back, and it hit him that he really hadn't had much time to just be with his own fiancee for a while now. Not alone anyway.

First chance he got, he wanted to spend a good while kissing her. While many men ran screaming at the mention of being married, Link wished it would just happen already. Then he had another thought, and it made him smirk. Risek and Mirian should be invited. He wondered if Zelda would make Mirian a bride's maid of some type. Link also wondered if he could have more than one best man because he had about three in line so far that he couldn't choose from.

Tenio, Doyle - that was, if he ever forgave Link for the water balloon battles - and even Arden, though that was an amusing thought in itself as well. The big berserker definitely didn't seem the type to be an actual part of a wedding ceremony at all. Link had a hard enough time trying to visualize him in the crowd just watching the ceremony, let alone participating.

Now there was Risek. Link had come to consider the Althorian a close enough friend that it was an actual curiosity in his mind. That's when he realized something else he hadn't quite thought of yet.

He was glad he'd come to Althor.

Treachery and danger aside, he knew that once it was all over, he'd have gained even more friends out of it, and that was never a bad thing. Link drifted off to sleep again while considering it, and hoped that he would be able to ask Risek even if Risek declined, just because it would mean they had nothing more important to think about than the details of a wedding, not the life and death situation of an entire kingdom and all of it's people. The Master Sword was weighing on Link's back again, and he as ever aware of it's presence there. It was both a comfort and a burden as he'd come to consider it. Any time he felt its weight, he knew he was protected, but he also knew that weight meant there was danger at hand. Such was why Link had told the weapon the day he'd stored it back on its pedestal than he'd hoped he'd never see it again.

Time drew on while the wagon headed through the thick green woods, the rains having stopped a few hours beforehand by very early morning. Mirian, who'd been so out of it ever since her attack on Arrik the night before, finally started opening her eyes. She was used to getting up early most mornings anyway, and she'd nearly passed out as soon as they'd started traveling, thankfully getting some very good rest.

She was a bit embarrassed though because her head was on Risek's chest, his arm around her back in his own sleep, and she definitely wasn't used to being so close to the man. After years of ignoring her feelings, of ducking away from him at every turn she could manage, and turning her head from him if she had even the slightest of suspicions that someone was looking, she was now being faced head on with her inner feelings in a manner she couldn't really hide from, and she turned her gaze up to his sleeping face.

She wanted to sit up for just a few minutes, but her arm was behind him, and she was afraid she'd jar him awake, which would _really_ embarrass her considering their situation just then. While considering how to get free, he suddenly startled her.

"Sleep well?"

"Oh!," she covered her mouth and looked up, seeing his eyes opening. Finally, she nodded, then yawned softly. "I'm still a little tired, but I did sleep well."

"Then go back to sleep," he told her. "It's not dawn yet. There's still a ways to go."

"Where are we heading again?" Mirian had been so groggy she'd forgotten. When she had to ask, she knew for a fact that she'd been very out of it the evening beforehand.

Risek pushed himself up just a bit, still laying against the pillows he'd put back the night before, and started to explain it while she sat up. "Thicket Moore."

"The forest?"

When he nodded, he supplied, "Where Aggie is waiting on us. He's taken the villagers there to be safe from harm."

Mirian gave a slow nod of her head and then looked down, her thoughts going to the harm they could be facing, and the events of the previous evening. She thought about their confrontation with Arrik, and how she'd taken the amulet back from him, an amulet that had absorbed itself into her. It was a part of her now, she could feel it even thought she didn't understand it completely, and she couldn't help but to think...it should've been a part of Marcelle instead. It was _his_ amulet after all.

And they both carried the blood of an ancient Dragon in them.

"Mirian?"

Hearing Risek's voice, she looked up at him suddenly, her golden eyes having glinted with the thoughts she'd been having, and he asked, "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. Everything that happened last night, I was just thinking about Marcelle, wondering if he knew any of it."

"I don't think he did," Risek told her, understanding completely how Mirian was overwhelmed by it all. "He would have told me if he knew."

Mirian nodded, knowing that her brother and Risek shared a good many things being the friends that they were, then said, "I just wonder, because I didn't know, until I looked at that amulet when Arrik began using it. So maybe Marcelle had no idea."

Risek was worried about her, and he took her hand, getting her attention. "What happened last night, Mirian? What did you do to Arrik?"

She turned her golden eyes away in thought, pushing her bangs back from flying into her face in the short gusts of air coming in through the planks of wood that made up the side of the wagon they were leaning against. "I don't know," came her honest response. "I just know that when he started using the amulet to unseal his powers, I realized that it wasn't an amulet at all. It was a Dragon Scale."

Risek had gotten the slightest feeling that as much had been true, but it still sounded surprising to hear it. "How did you know?"

"It...told me," she admitted, staring off in thought, speaking softly. "The power in it told me I was who it belonged to, that I should've been the one to command it, because I was...a dragon master. Everything that Arrik said about being granted the blood of a dragon to better control the power of its scale suddenly made sense to me. I just...felt it," she shook her head, "for a short time. I still feel it now, but...I don't understand it."

Perhaps in her realization, she'd just overdone what she'd been aiming to do to begin with. She hadn't known how fierce the power of the scale she'd taken from Arrik could be or how to use it completely. After all, Arrik had years to understand it apparently. She'd had but a few moments.

Other things had come to mind when she considered it as well, and she voiced them almost so quietly that Risek could barely hear her. "I was also thinking that, in my family, I had many uncles and great grandfathers I heard of, but not many women. Arrik has two sons, and no daughters." Mirian glanced up at Risek and shook her head, "I don't understand that."

"Maybe it's just coincidence," Risek responded. "I'm sure there's an answer out there somewhere. But if you're thinking it means you're strange, then," he slowly shook his head, "I'm going to have to disagree with you."

Mirian watched him quietly, trying to push down a lump that had formed in her throat, and she asked him, "Even...even knowing I have this...dragon blood in me?"

"Mirian," he drew out, shaking his head again. He didn't care. She could've told him she was somehow related to Arrik and, as long as she was still Anamirian, he just didn't care. "It doesn't matter to me," he reiterated. "You're just you, and nothing will change that. If there's a reason for it, then it will be known in its own good time."

Mirian needed to hear those words. She wasn't sure what to think when she'd learned last night that she was apparently the last of a rare bloodline. Now, she was just as lost and confused as anyone, but at least no one would look at her differently. At least, no one who's opinions she valued.

But still, she didn't want to tell just anyone about it, not just yet. "Risek, if we could, let's keep this a secret. I don't mind if Aggie knows, he may need to, but for now, until I'm a little more certain what this all means," she glanced back up at his face, "would it be alright to just keep it quiet? Between," she looked about, "the six of us here?"

"Of course," he told her as if she shouldn't have had to ask. "Honestly, in this situation Mirian, I would want the same thing. Not to mention, I didn't know if I wanted to say this or not, but your life could be in danger because of this. I'd rather keep it a secret than cast it out for all to see."

"Thank you," she nodded, though she realized he was right, and she might have been in danger now. The White Knights could have been privy to information she wasn't yet, and she might've well been able to ruin their plans without knowing it. The thought scared her a bit, and her brows narrowed.

Risek could sense the tension she felt, and he reached for her arm to pull her over. "Don't worry about this now, Mirian. You're safe here." He hesitated for a moment, then added, "I promise that."

She still wasn't completely used to being close to him, careful with her movements when he pulled her over, and Risek sensed her slight hesitation, but she finally relaxed. "I know, Risek. But I'm just an insignificant girl, not a warrior or a sorceress. I can't fight the way that you and Link can, and I can't cast spells the way that Zelda can. I'm just," she smirked a slight bit, "a chambermaid."

"I know," he said gently, trying to ease her fears, smirking over how she'd said what she was as well. Then he continued, "That's why I'm here now. Remember, I promised your brother, and I'm going to watch out for you, even if I didn't do a very good job at first."

He lifted her chin so that she'd look at him, and when their eyes met, Mirian suddenly blushed as bright red as her hair and turned her face away from him. Risek couldn't hep but lift his lips in a rare, genuine smile, and he leaned in more closely, so that she could hear him with no one else who might've been listening overhearing his words.

"Don't be alarmed, I would never make a move without permission."

"That's not what I was afraid of," she admitted. "I was afraid _I'd_ forget myself."

Hearing that, he couldn't stop smiling, even had to stifle a chuckle, and he closed his eyes when she leaned into him, even though she still faced her head away from him completely with shyness. For now, he let his eyes close and just relaxed with her there.

Link let his eye close, a little smirk on his face. He'd been in and out of consciousness all night long and with Zelda warmly resting against him - despite the random dips in the road - he was as comfortable as he'd been in a while now. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, had awoken to hear Risek telling Mirian that he wouldn't spread her secret about to others when they hit one of those dips, and seeing the two together so closely made him feel good inside. He'd definitely advocate.

He had an arm behind his head and one around Zelda's back, and he stroked it along her idly, enjoying her weight against him. Even with a swollen eye and a sore arm - which Zelda would be able to mend for him once she'd recovered from her extremely long day and night - he wanted her right there against himself in no other shape than he was currently in. Who cared about a couple of bumps and bruises? He'd been in much worse shape.

He fell back to sleep thinking those thoughts, and didn't wake up again until the sun had been up for about three hours. Zelda was stirring as well, and Mirian was already up herself. Gabriel had asked if he could sit with Renard, but they didn't want anyone to recognize him, so he had to stay in the back, though he was currently peering between the wooden planks that made up the wagon to see the scenery outside, which was green, hilly, and sported trees and bushes all over the places, the plant life of which was only getting thicker the further they went.

Mirian had been chatting with Gabriel idly, Risek sound asleep next to her, and she looked over when Zelda sat up and smiled at them. Smiling back, she greeted, "Good morning, Princess, Link. Are you hungry? Renard has some bread to hold us over and a little Sugar juice."

"That sounds good," Zelda nodded. It wouldn't be a big meal by far, but she was famished, and could only imagine Link was the same.

Nodding, Mirian reached over to the box that Renard told her he'd packed it into, and she handed them a loaf of white bread and the jug carrying the juice. "We have to use the same cup, there's only one. I washed it out after we used it with a bit of water, or," she chuckled as if forgetful, "you can drink water from the flask Renard has that I used if you'd rather drink that instead of the juice."

"Oh, I'm not picky," Zelda ensured the lady, pouring the juice into the cup for she and Link to share between them. Once Link had gotten a good gulp, she took it to pour a little more for herself.

Link smacked his lips a few times, "Sugar Berries are tart, and I've never understood that. They should be sweet."

"Depends on how long they ferment for," came Renard's voice from the front of the wagon outside, having heard the entire conversation. "Ever hear of Sugar Ale? It's not common in Hyrule, but in Althor and a few other places, it's a big thing."

"Sugar Ale," Link repeated. "I'll remember to ask for that the next time I go to Blue Rose. Unless I just drink my regular."

"What's your regular?," Gabriel asked curiously, turning from the scenery outside to look over at the Hylian.

Having just taken a bite of the bread, Link chewed it up and swallowed before replying, "Milk."

Gabriel looked stunned. Finally he exclaimed, "You drink _milk_!"

"Yeah," Link shrugged, "what's wrong with that?"

Mirian snickered softly over the talk. "I think he was expecting you to say something like Malt Beer."

"Those are men's drinks, aren't they?," Gabriel asked. Then he frowned. "Wait a second, I heard that from Gerild. Nevermind."

Link snorted in amusement, and with a wave of his hand, he told Gabriel, "Depends on the man. I know a berserker named Arden. If you ask him, the more alcohol it has, the better it is. Come to think of it," Link added thoughtfully, "he seemed a little surprised I like milk so much too." Then Link's face went blank and he looked at Zelda, "Do did Tenio."

Zelda smiled, then patted Link's head as if to comfort him. "It's okay, it's good for you," she told him while smiling playfully. "It's the reason you're so capable."

"It is?," Gabriel asked, taking Zelda's tease seriously.

Mirian decided to nod her head, "Probably." After all, she didn't want Gabriel thinking that the best way to be a good fighter was to become a raging alcoholic. "Milk _is_ good for you after all."

When Zelda gave a sage nod, the younger Prince looked thoughtful. "Hmm," Gabriel drew out, looking back at Link, remembering what he'd seen the Hylian doing the night before. "Okay, I believe you."

Link grinned, then heard Renard calling out, "Heads up, Nabooru's returning."

"Good," Link nodded, chewing up another bite of his loaf and leaning in to kiss Zelda's cheek once he was done. "I'm going to go out and talk to her."

"Hey, someone could spot you!," Gabriel warned him.

Link lifted his brow and glanced at Gabriel. Finally he shook his head, "Well, I'm not the Prince, just a Hylian."

"With a big sword on your back," Gabriel pointed out. "And a black eye. And Arrik's probably looking for a Hylian now, or Lukas is anyway."

Zelda grinned, and told Link, "Leave your weapons here, he's right. It will look less conspicuous if anyone _is_ watching. Tuck your ears into your hat, and come here. Let me take care of that eye as well. I'm rested enough."

Giving a nod, Link moved in closer to her and unstrapped his harness while allowing Zelda to use her magics on him, something that Mirian and Gabriel watched as if transfixed, and then Link tucked his ears under his windsock and went to climb over the boxes. When he did, Risek stirred finally, the mixture of chattering and Link's movements rousing him as Gabriel went to ask Zelda how she'd healed Link.

"Uhh," Risek groaned, sitting up slowly, "what time is it?"

"About two hours until noon," Mirian replied. As he rubbed his neck, she asked, "Did you sleep alright?"

"Yes, but my neck's cramped a bit."

"Mirian," Gabriel piped up suddenly. "Rub the kink out for him. You did it for me, and it worked perfectly."

Zelda saw Mirian blushing, but she knew there was nothing she could say to keep the poor girl from being embarrassed by the suggestion. Though, Risek told Gabriel, "I'm fine, I just need to–," he stopped when Mirian decided to go ahead and do as Gabriel had suggested. He couldn't help but stop and let his head loll a bit, the sensations rather soothing to the muscle.

Mirian didn't say anything, just kneaded where he'd been rubbing a moment before, and Gabriel grinned, "She's good at that, isn't she?"

Risek had to agree. He could already feel the pain lessening, and he said as much. "Yes, she is."

"Well," Mirian excused, "it's better than a long ride turning your head and feeling a pain shoot down your neck every time."

Zelda smiled at her, sipping more of the juice she still had left, and then glanced outside when she heard horses to see Link and Nabooru riding up behind the cart.

Link had found that Nabooru had received a visit sometime during the night, from one of the Gerudo in Thicket Moore with the villagers, and she'd sent them back to have a few horses gathered for the trip, which wouldn't be too much longer anyway. Among the horses was Nairim - Risek's mount - just as promised to him the night before.

The other was a brown mount that reminded Link of Epona, but the difference was that firstly, this horse was a stallion, and second, it had a black mane and tail instead of white. He was a lovely animal though, and Link thanked Nabooru, asking her if she'd spotted anyone while she'd been scouting.

"No, not a single soul. No one suspects anything, or, if they do, then they're letting you go. The second thought's a bit foreboding, don't you think?"

"Well," Link replied, "what makes it foreboding is that it's entirely possible. But if you haven't picked up on any tracks, then at least we're not being followed to the villagers either."

"I'd thought of that too," she replied as Link moved to mount the brown horse and took Nairim's reigns in his hand with his own. Once he was done, he rode ahead with her to catch up to the wagon again and looked inside from horseback, the Prince's horse trailing alongside him.

"Risek, I brought a friend."

Risek glanced up, and that's when Link noticed the neck rub he was receiving from Mirian. Link lifted a brow, "I mean, unless you're too interested in other friends."

Rolling his eyes at Link's tease - the Hylian got more like Marcelle everyday - he saw his horse trotting alongside the stallion that Link was riding on, and he smiled finally. "It's good to see him again."

Nodding, Link informed them all, "Nabooru hasn't caught sight of a single soul, and she's done everything she can to make sure no one finds us. We'll be at Thicket Moore in another hour, so if anyone has a need to get out and relieve themselves, let's go ahead and get that done."

It was the best time for it. They were close and hadn't stopped for most of the night. So everyone got to take a brief break, the wagon stopping for a moment, and when they were traveling again, Risek had taken Nairim's reigns to ride him, Gabriel rode on the front of the carriage next to Renard while sitting in Mirian's lap, and Zelda rode with Link on the stallion's back which Nabooru had brought for them.

Coming over an incline, and heading around the dirt path, the party spied the settlement in the distance. Tents and small wooden cabins and horses littered the forest floor. There were also some tree houses above and wooden bridges connecting them. The place looked as if it had just been built for all intents and purposes, and Link could only wonder how many people might've been there. Judging by first glances, maybe twenty five or thirty. It looked like they were still getting everything organized as well.

As they moved in closer, they heard the sound of arrows cutting the air before slamming into the dirt from lookouts perched high in the trees, and a few people came out of their current homes to look.

Among the people, Risek eventually spotted Aggie. He looked a bit worn, somewhat dirty and in need of a shave since he had a good bit of a beard going on his face, but in good shape otherwise. The Captain also looked heavily relieved.

Renard drew the carriage to a stop as some people came over to help, and word spread quickly that the Princes of Althor had arrived. Aggie called to have someone fetch something to eat for the newcomers, and then looked up when Risek stopped next to where he'd come to stand and dismounted his horse.

Grinning, Link and Zelda the two gave a one another a hug, and Aggie slapped Risek's arm, nodding, "I knew you'd find us eventually, my Lord. I'm sad it's not with your father however. After the things I heard and saw, my biggest hope was to see a contingency being led by Seriun coming over the hill to take us home."

With a nod, the Prince retorted, "I know, but I'm happy all is well here in the least, and that there's still hope for my Father's recovery. We have a lot to exchange about what's happened."

After Risek told Aggie that, Link had stopped and helped Zelda off of the horse's back after he'd dismounted, and Risek looked over at them, saying as a continuation to his previous line about having a lot to exchange, "Starting here. Aggie, this is Princess Zelda of Hyrule, and her Knight and betrothed, Link."

Aggie, who was fairly tall, gave them both a respectful bow, saying, "Your majesty, Sir Knight. I'm sorry you've arrived in our kingdom during such a time of crisis."

"It's a pleasure, Aggie," Zelda returned, "and we plan on helping in any way we can. Hyrule is being kept alert, so we will not be without aide. My people may not want to get involved too quickly in the interest of diplomacy, but once the truth gets out, they'll come to aid Risek as soon as possible."

Aggie replied with the words, "Thank you, your highness," just when a voice suddenly yelled out his name.

"_Aggie_!" Gabriel went running from the wagon and toward the Captain who grinned and leaned down to catch the young man in a hug as Mirian stepped around the corner.

"Gabriel, it's good to see you. You as well, Mirian," he added upon spotting her from the hug he was giving the young man, standing up again when Gabriel let go of him. As they'd greeted one another, Gabriel looked up at his brother to notice a pained expression on his face.

"Risek, what's wrong?"

Risek glanced down at Gabriel, then around the area again, at all of the people, some injured, some looking as if they needed better nourishment, most of them dirty and a few looking a little ill, and he said, "Just that there's so many here."

Aggie glanced about with a nod of his head, then looked back at his Prince, replying, "Yes, but better here than dead, my Lord."

"He's right," Link said, walking over to stand on the opposite of Risek, adding to the Captain's words, "At least now you can see what we're fighting for, and we won't let them down. Not to mention I'm sure they're relieved to see their Crown Prince has come to try to make this all right. Hope is a good thing, Risek. You're not alone."

Risek looked back at the Hylian, a stranger who'd stood closer to him than his own kin had recently, and knew the words he'd spoken were right. Risek wasn't alone, he just had to keep remembering there were those on his side, and they could win this over if they just kept together.

It was now that they needed to take a stand.

A few hours had been spent in the encampment, and things had been set up, issues discussed, cards laid out on the table, and problems addressed. Aggie was in complete agreement that Seriun would be fine, because it wasn't in the enemy's best interests to harm or kill him, so that bought them some much needed time to make their plans.

Now that the truth was out, they faced several issues. The White Knights controlled Althor now, Dragonmasters would no doubt place Risek on the fugitive's list right along with Link and Zelda, which would grant Lukas the power to step in and take all rights to the Throne from Risek completely. In seeing what Mirian had done to Arrik, she would join them on the wanted list as well no doubt.

Gabriel would be taken into custody if he were found, so for now, Thicket Moore was their home as they developed their plan of action. Risek, Link, Zelda, Renard, Aggie, Nabooru, and Mirian were all in the tent to discuss this plan.

Another question that rose however lay in the amulet that Mirian had taken into her possession. None of them were precisely sure what being a Dragonmaster meant exactly, let alone did Mirian know how she'd managed to do what she'd done. This, all of them felt, was the biggest key to potentially solving their problems. Mirian sat inside of the tent with them while they discussed this because it concerned her, but she wished none of it did. She was nervous, but she saw Zelda giving her a confident smile when no one else was looking, and that _did_ make her feel better.

Zelda, Mirian decided, was going to make a wonderful Queen.

To counter the problem of uncertainty that surrounded the amulet and the Dragonmasters, Link decided that, "We'll just need to speak with Mother about this."

Aggie's brows narrowed, "We can always send a note, but there's a chance it would be intercepted before it even reached Hyrule, Link. Even if it does make it though, it could take weeks to get a response. We have time, but not _that_ kind of time."

"It won't take that long," Link replied, searching through his pouch until he'd pulled a stone out of it, white in color, almost like marble, or maybe pearl.

Aggie became extremely curious when he saw it, and asked, "What is that?"

Zelda was the one to respond by saying, "Link's Mother, Myriad, is the Sage of Light in my Kingdom. It's a long tale, but to be short, she set up stones around Hyrule that could be used for communication. This is one of her stones."

Renard smirked, seeing as he would get a chance to speak with his half sister again, though this was hardly a time for a reunion. Still, he did say, "A Myriad Stone." Grinning, he waved a hand, "It's good to see they worked."

Link nodded his head, "They came in more handy than you know not too long ago." Then he lifted his hand and settled it on the stone just as he'd always done whenever he needed a little motherly advice. The inside of the large tent that had been erected began to dim despite the daytime outside, and the Althorians looked a little more curious than the Hylians, but soon enough, Myriad's voice sounded clearly to them all. "Good afternoon, Link. I trust you're well and out of danger?"

Link smirked, replying, "You know me."

"Then you're knee deep in trouble?," she countered her own question, a slight hint of mirth in her voice.

"Well, maybe waist deep at this point," Link replied, then added after a moment, "and sinking."

"Oh dear," Myriad said pointedly, then asked, "what would the situation be in that case?"

Link explained to her exactly what was happening, and finished the story off by saying, "Zelda and I escaped with Risek, Gabriel, and Anamirian, with the help of Nabooru and," he paused, "my uncle."

There was silence for a moment before a reply finally sounded. "Renard!" Myriad sounded surprised, and a bit excited.

"Hello, Myriad," Renard drew out, "it's been quite a long time, young lady."

Hearing someone refer to Myriad as young lady seemed a little strange to Link and Zelda, but Renard had said the words lovingly, as if though they hadn't seen each other in a long time, he still cared deeply for her.

"Yes it has. I'm grateful Link found you. You'll have to travel back to Hyrule sometime so that I can thank you for his safety properly."

"I'll keep it in mind," Renard replied, a smirk on his face, and he allowed the conversation to flow away from them and onto what needed to be said.

Myriad continued with the words, "I hope you will. But let's speak of pleasantries later, brother. Link," she addressed him, "you've all exposed Arrik as the leader of this band of White Knights, and in the process, you say that Anamirian has discovered that her lineage is that of Dragonmasters."

"Yes," Zelda spoke then. "But we need to know more about that. After all, not even she's completely sure what it means, and if there's anything significant that the scale she carries now can do to aide us somehow, we need to know. So do you know anything more about Dragonmasters?"

Myriad was silent for a moment as if searching her thoughts for information. As she did this, Risek looked over at Mirian to see her fidgeting her hands against her skirt where she sat, as if she were nervous again.

She looked down when she felt his hand covering both of hers, and a blush stained her cheeks over his effort to comfort her. She couldn't look at him, but she did put one of her hands over his to show that she was thankful for his consideration. As they'd waited, Aggie noticed this movement between his Prince and a chambermaid, and though he didn't ask anything just then, he did become curious, a slight smile gracing his lips.

That was when Myriad told them, "I know that Dragons did appoint those they deemed worthy to master them after the exploits of Boemith. It is said that these people were blessed with their blood, which made them stronger, more capable, and their senses were unmatched by any others. However, I could not say exactly what the scale she possesses in particular could do. I have suspicions from the time spent in the Sacred Realm, but I want to further research it before I confirm them to you in order to prevent confusion. My suggestion is that, for now, pay attention if she hears or sees anything out of the ordinary. She could alert you to danger long before it arrives at your doorstep."

"I don't...," Mirian started, casting a confused gaze at those present as she'd stopped herself before she said anymore, feeling almost as if she'd broached etiquette.

Sensing her hesitation, Myriad's soothing voice said, "Please, speak your mind, child."

Lowering her head a bit, she said softly, "I don't know how I could be of any help, my lady."

There was a brief pause before Myriad told her, "No one who helps ever knows how they could help in the beginning. It will come to you, I'm certain," and the way the Sage sounded was extremely promising and confident. Mirian felt more stable somehow, listening to her, unknowingly sharing a part in experiences that Link and Zelda had both had with Myriad previously.

"I'll try anyway," she said, her voice still soft and uncertain.

"That is all anyone can do," Myriad added. "For now, rest while you formulate your plans. I will adjourn to my studies, to be ready with more answers when we next convene. I'll relay this information to the King and Queen the moment a plan of action has been made."

Link, who still held the stone in his hand, gave a nod even if his mother couldn't see it. "We'll speak soon, Mother."

"We will. All my love to you, son. Take care of Zelda."

"I will." Link promised that and turned the stone to put it back into his pouch, the room inside the tent returning to its normal lighting, leaving those dwelling within it silent and contemplative. Link drew his gaze over their thoughtful faces, and it was Mirian who finally broke the silence and drew his and Zelda's gazes both completely, as well as everyone else's.

"I wouldn't rely on me until Myriad has more information, and perhaps not even then. I don't understand any of this yet, let alone a role as a Dragonmaster. So I fear I really won't be much help."

Risek wanted to tell her that everything would be alright, but it was Link who provided her with insight that related the most closely to what she was going through. "Don't worry about it too much, Mirian, or you'll confuse yourself more. It's been my experience that when fate hangs a heavy burden on your shoulders to live up to, it'll come to pass regardless of how much you might know about it. You don't have to do anything more but be yourself."

Zelda reinforced his words with a nod, "He's right. Fate made him the hero of an entire kingdom when he was barely able to remember much of it. You can imagine what he had to go through."

Mirian smiled warmly, nodding her understanding. "If that's true, then I think my purpose would be best served doing what I do best, catering to the needs of those here. It will make me be more at ease. So, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go do that now."

She couldn't face Risek in that moment, nor did she feel as if she would be good at conversation. When she'd excused herself, she got up to leave, and Risek looked as if he'd liked to have followed her. Before he could move though, Zelda stopped him.

"Let her be alone for a while, Risek. She needs the time to come to grips with all of this. Besides, we need to speak."

She was right, and Risek stayed himself with a slight sigh while Aggie looked on between them. Nabooru had been carving a design into a piece of wood, and as she worked, she spoke up finally, "So, the Triforce is still a secret as far as locations goes."

That was exactly what Zelda wanted to speak of. She nodded, looking over at Aggie, and then at Risek. "You should inform your Captain of it."

Nodding his head, Risek looked at Aggie and asked him what he knew of the ancient relic. Aggie shook his head, "I know about it, but I have no idea if it exists or not. It's a Hylian legend."

"And it does exist," Risek told him certainly. "It's within the three of us. For some reason, Din chose me to carry the Triforce of Power after its previous master was vanquished. The White Knights are looking for it, but they do not know we three carry a piece of it."

Aggie's eyes had gone wide, and he was quiet for several moments before he made any responses while Nabooru looked them over and then snorted in amusement. Aggie finally said, "If that's true, then you three should leave before they find out the location of it. Who knows what they could accomplish with such a relic."

Link shook his head, "It took Ganondorf years to devise a way, even after his father's attempts, to use all of the relic. Even then, we all had to have the same goals before the pieces could reassemble. The Knights won't be able to obtain it for themselves, no matter how powerful they think they are. We're staying right here. Besides," he added on a more somber tone of voice, "I think the real issue at hand is why here and now, why not show up in Althor before now, before Ganondorf was overthrown? What does the Dragonmaster have to do with it all?"

Risek gave a nod. "The only way to find out is to see what Myriad comes up with."

"Or," Link said, then looked at Risek. "You told me once about shrines that your people used. What were they called again?"

"The Shrines of the Goddesses. Why is that important?"

"Are they under Royal control?"

"No, they operate on their own. The Vicars heed only the Goddesses, no one else."

Link looked from Risek and to Zelda, who gave him a nod of her head, and Nabooru chuckled softly as if she knew exactly what that meant. Link then looked back at Risek and Aggie, saying, "Then I think it's time we found them and asked a few questions. They might know a good bit more than we do."

Risek thought about that for a moment. "Link, even if they're not under the control of Althorian Royalty, they lay close to the townships. You could get caught easily trying to head to one."

"You think he cares?," Nabooru chuckled. "He'll be fine, he has Gerudo stealth and a Triforce of Courage in him. Nothing could touch him."

Renard was chuckling, and Link smirked, "I don't know about all of that, but it should be easy enough. So which is the closest Shrine?"

With a sigh, Risek settled back a bit and thought about it. "The Shrine of Farore, it's a good travel south of here, close to Port Sun, a small seaside town, but one that has a good bit of travel in and out by Royal Guards. I'd almost rather tell you to go to the Shrine of Nayru near Castle Town."

"How far?," Link asked simply.

"Well, the Shrine of Farore is about half a day's travel there and back again, and Nayru is a day's or a little more."

"Then we'll go to Port Sun," Link said, his mind made up. "I'll stay the day and night here, and leave tomorrow."

"I hope you're not expecting to go alone," Zelda asked him, and when he gave her a look, she raised a stubborn brow. "Don't argue with me."

Link pursed his lips, knowing that look, the one that Zelda wouldn't budge over. But to Zelda's surprise, they both heard Risek saying, "She's right, you won't go alone. I'll travel with you, and everyone else will stay here." Risek stood up, his own mind made up, and apparently, the look on his face was even more unbending than the one on Zelda's. Both Hylians watched as he left the tent.

Once he was gone, Link suddenly leaned back in his seat and put a smug grin on his face, saying, "So spoke the Prince," right before he was jabbed with an elbow in the side by Zelda who continued sitting properly as if she hadn't moved at all. Nabooru and Renard both started laughing.

Aggie was smirking, and he waved a hand, asking, "What do you think you'll find out from the Shrines?"

"I don't know," Link shrugged, sitting forward, idly rubbing his side where he'd been jabbed. "But that's what we have to find out. There's time for it, and I'll leave the stone with Zelda to speak with Myriad while we travel."

Zelda supposed that was the best idea, though she didn't like being separated from Link even if it would only be for a day. She couldn't help but remember the last time they'd had to part like this, and how Link hadn't been in the best of conditions upon his return.

Link must have seen her look as well because he reached over and tilted her chin toward him. "Don't worry about me, Zelda, this isn't like the last time."

"I know," she nodded, giving him a warm smile. "But I'll always worry for you anyway."

Suddenly, the other three in the tent began to stand up, exclaiming they needed to be going or the horses had to be fed, and Link lifted a brow. "It wasn't like we were going to kiss, you know." Once they were gone though, he smirked, then looked at Zelda. "Alright, _now_ we can kiss. Something I've been looking forward to for a while now."

"How long?," Zelda asked curiously.

"Any amount of time is too long," Link grumbled out, then placed a hand against her cheek and gave her one of his charming smiles.

He leaned in to get his kiss just when Gabriel suddenly stuck his head into the tent's flaps and said, "Link! You missed it! Your horse just sneezed big right all over one of the guards! He's flailing and it's hilarious! Come look!"

Zelda was trying her best not to laugh, mostly because Link looked so irritated over the sudden break in the mood, and then he sat back and said, "Alright, I'm coming. At least there's not a dull moment."

Zelda stood herself, smiling as she followed in behind Link. He was right about that, from White Knights and Dragonmasters to sneezing horses, it looked like everything in Althor was urgent. She wondered exactly _when_ they might actually get a moment to kiss again would be.


	53. Instinct

_Chapter 54 - Instinct_

As it turned out, the food being served was very good despite the situation. It might have been an encampment simply meant for survival, but apparently Althorians knew how to make the most out of what they had. Zelda spent some time with Mirian while the cooking was taking place, exchanging knowledge of roots, herbs, and other types of seasonings as Zelda used to grow those types of things in Kakariko and was simply known as Mira before she'd taken the title of Princess in Hyrule, and Mirian taught her a good bit about the kinds grown in Althor. Zelda was happy to learn about them.

Link had taken to making sure he had what he needed for the ride to Port Sun. He noticed Zelda with Mirian, noticed Aggie speaking with Risek over what he could only assume was their travels to Port, likely because Aggie was concerned that his Prince wanted to go to the Shrine of Farore with Link. Link could have gone on his own in all honesty, but he did like the thought of having an Althorian with him because he was a foreigner here, so the native might be able to help Link work faster.

As he tied a satchel to his horse's saddle, deep in thought, he heard Risek's voice, the Prince coming over to say, "I've assigned Aggie to take your responsibilities of protecting Zelda while we're away. But we should be back by morning, so I doubt there'll be a problem. Unless of course we're captured."

They'd decided to leave at nightfall and be back by the morning, since the cover of darkness would help them stay hidden. Link gave a nod and said, "I hope Aggie doesn't let her walk all over him. Zelda tends to be stubborn from time to time."

Risek softly snorted, looking over to see Zelda with Mirian still, and he commented, "I don't think there'll be enough time for any of that to happen. She seems to be getting along well with Mirian anyway."

"She used to have a farm back in the village we grew up in, and she still grows things in the Palace whenever she gets a chance to," Link explained, "I overheard them talking about spices of all things."

Risek gave a nod, "Mirian likes to cook, so maybe that will keep them preoccupied while we're away and out of trouble."

Link finished what he'd been packing and turned to face Risek, also hoping that would be the case, but sometimes it was hard to secondguess with Zelda. But instead of commenting, he just changed the subject simply by asking, "Are you sure you want to go?"

Risek lifted a brow, looking down at Link curiously. After a moment of consideration, he suggested, "You don't like the thought of us both leaving to do this."

"Well, it's not that in specific. I guess I think you'd be better off here too. Maybe I'm just looking at it as if..."

When Link trailed to find the words, Risek supplied, "As if you're a Knight?"

"That sounds about right," Link nodded in agreement, then pushed some hair out of his face, having removed his windsock before doing so, tucking the hat into his belt. "But you're right. Aggie kept this place safe until we arrived. One more night shouldn't be a problem. So," he stepped away from his horse and asked, "anyway, have you spoken with Mirian yet? About her troubles I mean."

"No, not yet," Risek admitted. "I will before we leave though."

Link was concerned about Mirian because he could see himself when he looked at her now. Months ago, he'd been just as lost and confused, and he wanted to make sure she could deal with her own confusion and get through it, wanted her to know she had those around who understood her plights. But instead of mention it, since it was really up to Risek to do, he mentioned what he'd heard the evening before between them instead. "You know, I heard you talking to her last night. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but sometimes the bumps in the road woke me up and I couldn't help it. You two sound as if you've been getting a bit closer maybe."

"It's fine," Risek told him in response, looking over at the Hylian. "You're right, we've come to terms with each other, but there's still ground to cover. It will be hard, but I'm not going to hide my affection anymore in any case, ground to cover or not. Now that I've let it out, I don't feel like I could return to secrecy if I wanted to."

"Good," Link nodded and smiled at him, "and I'll advocate you. I don't know how much sway I can give, but you know I'll stand by you if you need me to."

"I know," Risek told him, coming to a stop, and turning to face him when they'd reached the center of the encampment. As per usual, Risek's face was hard - the Stone Prince again - but unlike previous times, there was warmth there that was sincere. "You've become a true friend, and I trust you, Link. My only regret is that you couldn't meet Marcelle. I have the feeling you two would have gotten along rather well."

"Well," Link shook his head in response, "sometimes that's just how it works. But I'm sure you're right. It sounds like Marcelle was a good man." Link was suddenly distracted then when he saw Gabriel running after a chicken and he lifted a brow. "Uh, Risek, you might want to keep an eye on your brother."

Risek looked back and saw Gabriel chasing the chicken down, saying, "He's just playing. What harm can come from chasing a chicken? Come on, let's eat before we starve." Then the Prince shrugged and walked on while Link watched him, brows flat over his eyes with his thoughts of potential responses to the question of harm that could come from chasing chickens down.

Shaking his head and staying quiet though, Link went to go get some food as Risek had suggested, and he got to know a few of the people about during that time, specifically Aggie. When Zelda wasn't listening to him, busy off helping people to organize, Link gave Aggie some pointers of advice about her, and Aggie seemed to take them all in stride, commenting that he thought it was somewhat humorous just how well Link and Zelda knew one another. When Link asked why that was, Aggie informed him that Zelda had already told him that Link would try to make sure Aggie knew how to do his job, and Link decided then that he just couldn't win.

Gabriel asked them why they were going to visit the Shrine of Farore, and Link answered that there could be more answers about what was going on there. Mirian had finished eating and went to go help clean up. But none of the cooks seemed to want her to exert herself after the night she'd had, and so she decided to take a short little walk, never out of sight of the encampment, but far enough away that she could be alone with her thoughts.

It wasn't long however before she heard her name being called out. "Mirian?"

The redhead looked back to see Zelda in a blue walking dress which a commoner would typically wear - Zelda didn't want to stand out when so much was at stake - walking toward her. As the Princess neared, she said, "I hope I'm not interrupting. I saw you wandering off and just thought I would check."

The evening rays of light still gave a good bit of illumination to the forest, the sun set to go down completely in another hour or so, and Mirian nodded at Zelda in affirmation that she was fine. "I'm fine, thank you. I just needed to think. No one seems to want me working much right now. I feel fine, but I guess I should humor them anyway so they don't worry."

Smiling, Zelda replied, "I see. I'll leave you be then."

"You don't have to," Mirian rushed out when the Princess turned to walk off. Zelda stopped, and looked back to see Mirian biting her lip before she said, "Actually, I'd like to ask you something."

Zelda turned around and stepped over a few rocks on the ground, making her way in a bit more closely. "What is it?"

Once she'd stopped and stood a few feet away from the chambermaid, Mirian looked over at the Princess after some thought, almost the same height but a slight bit taller, and asked Zelda, "I wanted to ask you if you really think that Link will make a suitable husband even though you're royalty. Do you think it will work smoothly, I mean. I know that sounds like an insulting question but I...," Mirian clenched her hands into fists and then shook her head in a little embarrassment, "I don't mean it that way, I just..."

"It's fine, Mirian," Zelda said with a smile at her. "I know exactly what you mean. Yes, I think he's suitable, but no, I don't think it will work smoothly at all."

Mirian blinked, her brows narrowing, and her head tilted to the side. "You don't?"

"No," Zelda replied, "I know there will always be something for us to overcome. However, I do think it's worth the fight. Anything you love is worth the fight. Whether Link and I will have an easy time on the throne, or whether we will even take the throne at all considering my parents have a good number of years left in them, I don't know. But I do know that whatever comes our way, we'll work together to overcome it, and that's what matters. So yes, I have every confidence that he'll be a suitable husband to me."

A slow smile began to work its way onto Mirian's lips. Zelda had answered her question perfectly. They'd said she was wise, and Mirian could see it was true. With a nod given, Mirian told her, "Thank you. I guess you know why I'm asking then."

"Yes, I know," Zelda told her. "I think you and Risek should give it every chance you can. Especially if," Zelda trailed, thinking for the words, and finally said, "you care for him as a person and not as a Prince at all."

"I always have," Mirian nodded. Then she sighed out a breath and pushed a few strand of hair back and out of her face. "Everything changed last night though. Or at least, it feels like it changed. I don't know. That's why I needed to think, make sure I wasn't," she shrugged a shoulder, "looking too closely into things."

Zelda listened as she spoke, and she knew what Anamirian was saying easily. But before she could make any responses to the lady, Mirian had turned her head to look off into the distance. "Do you hear that?"

Zelda looked around and shook her head slowly, "Hear what, Mirian?"

"Mirian?," came a voice from behind them. Zelda looked back and saw Risek coming over, and he came to a stop when Mirian lifted a hand without looking back at either of them as if to say 'wait a moment'. Risek stood near Zelda and he glanced at the Princess somewhat curiously.

"She heard something," Zelda explained, and that was when Mirian looked back at them, her face a bit concerned.

"Neither of you hear that?"

Zelda shook her head and so did Risek. "What is it?," Risek asked her. "What does it sound like?"

"I don't know, I can't explain it," Mirian said, and she looked back in the distance again, "but it's getting louder." Mirian took a breath, and something caught on the breeze made her eyes go wide. "Wait," she said, then took a deeper breath through her nose. "You don't smell anything either?"

"No, Mirian," Zelda replied, "unless you mean the food in the encampment."

"No, it's not that, it's...," Mirian trailed. Risek stepped closer to her to try to get her attention, and as his hand went to her shoulder, she looked back at him, her expression shocked, and she said, "Wings flapping." With those words, she turned from him and started to take off, running swiftly away from the encampment.

"Mirian!," Risek called her. "Zelda, stay here, go tell Link, he may need to know." Following that request, Risek took off after Mirian and Zelda went to warn Link that something was going on, remembering what Myriad said about Mirian's senses.

Mirian moved swiftly. She had to see this with her own two eyes because she felt she knew exactly what was coming, and it was still a good ways off. Something in her was telling her that she had to go, and she wasn't sure why, but she couldn't resist the call to do so - almost as if she had to stop something before it started, and another part of her just driving her on to see it period. She made her way up a hill and over it, toward the other side, uncaring when a branch snagged her red hair and pulled a good bit of it out of the bun she'd had it tied into. She just kept moving, and Risek tried to keep up with her. He was learning, however, that Mirian was a swift little thing when she wanted to be.

Mirian finally came to a stop in a grove of trees, just behind several large rocks jutting up out of the ground, and she stepped around them, trying to catch her breath. She could see through the canopy of limbs and branches into the sky, and Risek made it to her just a moment later.

"Mirian," he started, catching his own breath, stopping next to her, "what are you doing?"

He looked up at the area where she was staring into the sky, and in the far distance, he could see something moving through that blue void, like a small blot of ink from his perspective. That was when Mirian spoke finally.

"That," she pointed.

"I see it, but what is it?"

It was getting closer to them, and Mirian's brows narrowed. "It's a dragon."

Risek looked from the blot in the sky and to Mirian in surprised confusion. "A dragon? What do you...," he then looked back, able to make out the shape the closer it got. Two large wings, a serpant's body, the colors of white and blue. The closer it got, the bigger he could see it was, but perhaps only about fifteen feet from the head to the end of its tail, and not gigantic like the legends spoke of.

That was when Mirian said, "No, it's not a dragon, it's a Drake."

Risek had heard of those before, Drakes being a common part of Althorian legend and fairytales, and he looked at Mirian for a moment, then back up before he moved in closer in order to take her behind the large boulders they'd been standing next to as he said, "It's white, so it's probably Arrik's doing. We shouldn't be in sight of it, and it's heading straight here."

Even as Risek moved to tug her behind the rocks, Mirian felt as if she shouldn't have hidden, as if she knew she'd be safe somehow, but she couldn't have explained it if she'd wanted to. Instead though, she hid with Risek, and peeked between the cracks of the large granite boulders to see the large beast coming in for a landing, working its wings before it's clawed feet hit the ground with a heavy thud. The neck curled back and the Drake drew its head down, looking around the area with deep blue eyes, the spines making a row down its back spreading up and stretching out like fins. It let a low snarl that suddenly turned into a large growl, and menacingly, its spiked tail lashed as it drew in a deep breath like it were sniffing out what it might have been looking for.

It moved it's front leg and began stepping through the grove and toward the trees a bit away from them, and then it stopped and looked back as if it had heard something. Mirian did as well when she heard the same thing the Drake had. There was a horse galloping in the distance, and she saw Link coming over a hill with Zelda behind him on its back, Nairim's reigns in his hand to aide Risek if the Prince needed it.

"Oh no, stay here," she told Risek, and suddenly stood up, slipping away from Risek before he could grab her to stop her. She had to act, and fast.

"Mirian!," he said sternly, but it was too late. Mirian had run out right into the Drake's line of sight, and the large beast began to turn to face her with a little shriek sounding in the back of it's long throat. Risek looked over when he'd only then heard the hooves of Link's horse and saw the Hylian approaching. Apparently this was all about to get very interesting.

Mirian came to a stop as soon as the huge beast saw her. It had turned around to face her while lashing its tail and taking in a breath before it suddenly let a loud roar out down at her that vibrated the ground on which she stood, causing her to stumble, but she kept her balance. The fifteen foot long Drake continued snarling after making the sound, lifting a large claw back that in that instance, one it was about to swipe down at her, but she simply stood there staring at the animal.

Risek had just started to head toward her when the loud roar made him stumble, and he felt to a knee mid step. Even Link's horse came to a stop and nearly threw his riders at the unexpected ear piercing sound just as they were about to make it into the grove. Risek looked back to see that Mirian hadn't moved while the Drake was about to attack, and just when it was going to either cleave Mirian in two with a swift swipe of it's sharp claws - a movement that almost made Risek's heart explode in his chest with fear for her - Mirian began to glow and a burst of golden light exploded from her body.

The Drake drew it's claws back as this happened and let a shriek of pain, stepping away from her somewhat quickly, and Risek, who was just about to try to knock her out of the way, was knocked away from her instead. He had to cover his own eyes once he'd landed on the forest floor because the burst of energy was so bright of a flash. Link had managed to get his horse steady and to the area in time to see this happening, tugging his blade from his back and drawing up on his reigns before looking on with Zelda who was settled in front of him to assess the situation.

Finally, the Drake stopped reeling and turned a glower down to Mirian, whose eyes were glowing a golden color as if she might have been possessed by something, and the animal suddenly leaned in and began to sniff at her. As it did, Mirian took a step back and shook her head swiftly, saying sternly, "No! Go! Right now!"

The Drake let a hiss, but it backed up from Mirian. Still, it hesitated to leave, and turned its gaze to Risek who'd just pushed himself back up after being dazed by the energy blast he hadn't known was coming. When the Drake spotted him, it suddenly emitted a low growl at the Althorian Prince threateningly. So Mirian moved to stand in front of him while Link and Zelda dismounted their horse, moving carefully toward the area. Link watched as Mirian stood before the Prince and told the Drake a second time, "Leave! Your quarry is elsewhere! Go hunt _them_, not us!"

The Drake growled at her, stubbornly hitting a large claw into the ground which blew up chunks of debris and dirt, but then it finally turned around and reared back on its haunches before pushing off and into the sky, taking to the air swiftly and inevitably out of sight. Link watched it going, then looked back at his friends and narrowed his brows, before he looked over at Zelda, who was giving the entire scene just as curious an expression.

Once the Drake was leaving the area, Mirian's eyes began to return to normal - not that she'd known they'd been different at all - and she looked back at Risek who'd stood from his crouched position. From him, she looked at Link and Zelda, and then back again while the Prince stood back up, fine now. She suddenly bit her lip, glancing down before saying, "I'm...sorry if I scared you. I just...knew how to make it listen. I didn't want it to hurt anyone or find the camp."

Risek's brows narrowed as Mirian apologized, and balled his fists, his heart still pounding in his chest from what he'd thought was about to happen. What he'd just seen had scared him more than he thought anything could, so he gave in and reached out to pull her into a tight hug. He didn't know what to say, could only hold her there, and finally he rasped out, "Don't ever do that again." Mirian blinked over the way he'd reacted, then let her arms go up and around him slowly, still trying to get used to being honest about her emotions with him.

Zelda's gaze drifted to the side quietly from the two standing in the grove as she figured out what had just happened. What Mirian had done was all instinctual, so it wasn't that hard to understand. She reached over and took Link's hand to lead him away and to their horse.

Link turned when Zelda did that, and he stepped over and asked her, "What just happened there?"

"Mirian," Zelda replied. "She's a Dragonmaster. Just because we don't understand what she can do doesn't mean that she won't when the time comes. This was born into her, it's instinct, recently awoken. She was doing what instinct told her to do."

"Do you think she's okay?," Link then asked, glancing over at Mirian and the Prince in the grove before he glanced back at his fiancee and she gave him a nod of her head.

"I think she'll be perfectly fine. Maybe shaken up, but no worse for the wear. Like you were."

Link thought about that, then slowly began to smile and nod his head. He could understand. "Well, if that's the case, then the next question is what _was_ that? It has to be Arrik's work. He's trying to find us."

"Yes, he is. I'm sure more will come as well."

"I was worried you'd say that," Link grumbled, then he put his hand on the saddle of his horse as if to lean against it. "It might change our plans for the trip to the Shrine."

Zelda started shaking her head. "I don't think it should. Mirian sent the creature away from here. It will likely go elsewhere to hunt for a while before it returns."

"Something's still bothering me though," Link pointed out, adding after a moment, "If Arrik sent it, then how could Mirian tell it what to do?"

"Honestly I don't know," Zelda replied, looking down in thought. "Perhaps any kind of dragon is sensitive to a Dragonmaster. We'll just wait for them to come over and ask to see if she knows."

Link gave a nod, and he waited with Zelda for the two Althorians to finally come over. As he leaned against a tree near his horse, he asked, "Do you want to make any bets as to whether or not they'll kiss to pass the time?"

Zelda elbowed him, and he gave her an amused grin, which she rolled her eyes over, but on the inside, she was hoping they might despite her proper manners outwardly. After a moment, she said, "Five rupees says they will."

"I think they will too," Link replied, watching them to see.

In the grove, Risek looked at Mirian after releasing her from the hug, asking, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," she replied, adding, "I was more worried about you just now honestly. I knew the Drake couldn't hurt me. I just don't know why. I wish I could explain it."

Mirian thought he might be disappointed when she looked back up at him, but instead, he just gave her a nod and told her, "It's fine. You don't need to explain anything."

Risek was holding onto his control. He'd honestly been about to kiss the life out of Mirian in that moment. Considering the situation, he figured he probably should have, and in the back of his head, he could hear Marcelle - who was a lady's man - chastising him for being such a stick in the mud and not taking his chance when he got it while shaking his head at the Prince. Then again, this was Marcelle's sister so Risek wasn't sure if he would have gotten that reaction, or if Marcelle might've punched him for what he'd been thinking about doing.

In either case, he held back because he didn't want to complicate Mirian's already overloaded emotional situation with that kind of thing for now, so he gritted his teeth and let it go. Even if he'd just had the life scared out of him.

Mirian had looked down, apparently a little embarrassed anyway, busying herself by tugging her red hair completely out of the bun it'd been in before which was a mess from her run now, and as she worked, she suggested, "We should go back to the encampment."

Risek glanced over to see that Link and Zelda were talking by the horse, giving him and Mirian a chance to do a little speaking of their own, then looked back at her and became a little caught up watching her hair coming loose. After all, he normally didn't get to see it at all with the bonnets she wore, much less did he get to see it all down very often. "We have a moment," he trailed a bit, still busy watching her as she looked back up at him, and he suddenly realized he'd sounded distracted, so he said more intelligently, "Before we go, there's something I needed to tell you that you didn't get a chance to hear in the tent earlier."

Mirian looked as if she might've spotted something on the back of Risek's un-gloved hand, and she pointed it out, "There's a mark on your hand, my Lor–," she cringed, "uh, I mean, Risek."

Risek smiled as she'd corrected herself over his name, and he drew up his left hand to let her see it. "I know, that's what I needed to tell you about. You might have heard Arrik talking about it last night, but so much was going on it may not have settled in."

Mirian saw the outlines on his hand marking the Triforce, and he was right, she hadn't consciously recalled that much until he'd just mentioned it to her, making her say, "I remember now. You have the Triforce."

"Only a part of it," he corrected. "I was wanting to find you earlier and talk to you after you'd had some time to think so that I could tell you. I'd hoped that maybe it would help you feel a little less overwhelmed with everything that's happened, knowing you're not the only one who's fate has given them a turn down a strange road."

Mirian pursed her lips and looked back up at him, asking, "So I'm a Dragonmaster, and you're part of an Ancient Relic now?"

Risek let a little snort out, "I guess that's as good a way to put it as any." Mirian watched the humor in his eyes even though his expression didn't really show it much, and she looked over to see Link and Zelda, and suggested to keep the Hylians from waiting, "Come on, let's all go back."

She turned to start walking, and Risek let a little sigh at himself. He knew Marcelle was watching him and laughing somewhere now, if he wasn't being the protective brother anyway.

As they both reached Link and Zelda, Zelda asked, "Are you two alright?"

"We're fine," Risek replied, coming to stand near Mirian as he looked the Hylians over, "She's not sure what she did, but everything's fine for now." Following those words, he saw Link's face looked a little disappointed, and asked him, "What?"

"Nothing," Link shook his head, deciding not to comment just then on the lack of a kiss he'd just witnessed, adding the words, "It's good she's fine." Then he looked at Mirian from Risek, and he asked the chambermaid, "I do want to know something though. If Arrik sent that dragon, then how did you make it go away? You're not the same kind of Dragonmaster as he is, right?"

Mirian's lips pursed, and she looked a little confused. "I hadn't even thought of that. But it wasn't a dragon, I know that much. It was a Drake."

"What's the difference?," Link asked curiously.

"Stories I've read to Gabriel at night to put him to sleep," Mirian explained simply. "Drakes were the steeds of the Dragonmasters, summoned creatures they could ride into battle and when traveling."

"_That_," Link asked in a bit of surprise, "is one of their mounts?"

Mirian nodded as if it were plain knowledge, and Risek backed her up by saying, "It's fairly common knowledge in our kingdom since the legends of dragons are told as bedtime stories now. Even I knew the difference when she mentioned it."

Link let a sigh, then he leaned back against the tree trunk again. "Well, at least that one wasn't saddled up by one of the knights. So what was it doing? Looking for us obviously."

"Yes," Mirian nodded, "In the stories, the Drakes were also used as hunters to find quarry or food. When I noticed it was too small to be a dragon, and didn't have a rider, I figured it was probably hunting. I don't know how I knew it would listen to me when I told it to leave, but I just did, like it was instinct."

"I'm glad you were right," Zelda replied, "or we all might have been in more trouble than we needed." Mirian agreed with those words, and she watched Zelda looking up to see that the sky was darkening before she suggested, "It will be night soon. If you and Risek are going to the Shrine, Link, then we should probably get back to the camp now. After all, with those Drakes about, they could come back at any time, and even if Mirian could thwart them off, it would still be dangerous."

Risek agreed, not liking the idea of that at all, and he was a little more worried now than he had been before he'd told Link that he would travel to the Shrine with him. Glancing at Mirian, then at Nairim, his stallion standing nearby which Link had brought along incase he was needed, Risek gave a nod and began to move. "Alright, let's go make sure everything is ready and get underway."

Link nodded in agreement, going to his own mount and he helped Zelda up onto the saddle before he climbed up himself. "When we take the ladies back, we should warn Aggie about this."

"Agreed," Risek said, helping Mirian onto his horse's back. He swung up behind her, reaching around her sides to take the reigns while Link got settled on his own mount. He was about to ask Link if he had everything packed up for the trip already, but Link had already taken off. The movement made Risek sigh. "He becomes more like your brother by the moment."

Mirian was smiling over the line despite how awkward she felt settled where she was, only commenting by saying, "I like him," as Risek had started to take off behind Link, and she grabbed the pommel to stay in place.

Just as Zelda enjoyed riding with Link, Mirian - who'd never been on horseback with Risek before - learned as they went that she liked riding with him. She tried not to focus on that much however as they got back to the encampment, focusing instead on a thought she'd had that she hadn't considered before. She was glad for it as well, otherwise she might've been blushing the entire way.

Once they reached the encampment and began to trot toward the main part of the settlement, she turned her head and asked, "Risek?"

He looked like he'd been considering something important because his face seemed to soften a bit when she got his attention while he looked down at her and asked simply, "Hmm?"

"Where did you get the name Nairim from?"

A somewhat sheepish look actually overcame Risek's face, and the expression made her stare for a moment. She'd never seen such a look on his face. When he explained though, she knew why he had it.

"It's your name, spelled backwards."

Mirian's face went forward quickly, but not before Risek caught a blush lighting her cheeks. Zelda had looked over to notice Mirian blushing in that moment, but she had no idea why, though she did hear Mirian saying something along the lines of 'oh, that's nice'. Zelda smiled and pretended not to notice. Mirian, on the other hand, was embarrassed, and mostly because, as her father had said when she was a child, a warrior's steed was one of his greatest allies, and a man should take pride in what he named the animal. Her brother had taken that line to heart, and Mirian knew for a fact that most men did. So she was definitely humbled by the notion that Risek had named his stallion after her.

But Aggie's voice caught their attention before she could say anymore as the Captain walked out to greet them. "Is everything alright?" He took the reigns of Link's stallion, looking up at the four riders who all gave their affirmation.

"Everything's fine for now," Risek said to Aggie, adding, "but we might have a new problem. The White Knights have Drakes out after us."

"You're kidding?", Aggie asked as if extremely surprised. "They can do that?"

Nabooru had come out as well, and when she heard the words, she asked, "What's a Drake?"

"Aggie will have to explain it," Risek told Nabooru, then turned to help Mirian climb off of his horse without climbing down himself. Zelda was also dismounting, and as she got to the ground, she went toward Nabooru while Risek went on, "We're heading to the Shrine now. We should be back by morning."

"If you're not, how long should I wait to send out a search?," Aggie asked him.

"Don't send one," Risek said while tugging his gloves from his belt to put on his hands, and his words were crystal clear and stern, those of a King as he'd had to become recently. "Not with the Drakes out and about. Link and I will be fine, and if we're not back by morning, we've only been delayed or captured, but we'll still be alive. Arrik doesn't want us dead because we have something he wants that he can't utilize without us, so we'll use that to our advantage."

Aggie gave a short sigh, but he nodded his head. "Very well, my Lord. I'll keep the place safe until you and Link return."

Risek gave a quick nod to him as one of the guards had fetched some of his own things to hand to him, then looked over to see Link dismounting his steed. Link didn't care who was watching either. He went over to Zelda and pulled her in, giving her a sound kiss on her lips in front of everyone. Her cheeks turned red in the process because of the onlookers, her hands falling on his shoulders, but she returned the kiss wholeheartedly.

Gabriel had come out by that time and he pursed his lips, giving a bit of a bland look as boys usually did to such sights, while Aggie smirked at him. Nabooru was grinning, and Mirian smiled, until she looked at Risek anyway. Then she blushed and looked away because he'd looked over at her and the look was meaningful.

Aggie caught that glance as well, and he was fairly certain now that his Prince and the chambermaid had feelings for one another. That just made his mood brighten a bit.

Link enjoyed every bit of his moment saying goodbye to his fiancee without words, and finally broke the kiss off and told Zelda quietly while brushing his fingers through her hair, "I'll be back by tomorrow. I promise."

"I know," she whispered back, "and you better return in good shape, nothing like last time. That's a royal command."

Link smiled at her, nodded his head, then replied, "Yes, your highness." He placed another quick kiss to her lips again and once he had, he tugged the Myriad Stone from his pouch and handed it to her. Zelda took it, then let him turn to go back to his horse. She took a few steps back while Link mounted the animal and took the reigns from Aggie.

Gabriel looked up as Risek trotted over toward him and Mirian, asking, "You're going to the Shrine now?"

"Yes, so keep everyone here safe for me, Gabriel. Think you can help do that?"

Gabriel grinned and waved a hand, "Easy."

That made Risek smile and chuckle, then he looked at Mirian, his gaze becoming more intent when it met hers. Mirian held his gaze as evenly as possible and said, "Be careful, my Lord."

"Risek," he said to remind her with a warm smile, then nodded his head. "I will be, because I intend to collect something similar to what Link just did when I return. So keep that in mind." Mirian thought her cheeks were going to burn right off of her face honestly, even when Risek told Aggie, "Keep a special eye out on her for me, would you? She owes me something for frightening me earlier."

Aggie, grasping the entire context of their dialogue, gave a nod of his head and told him, "Yes sir, I will." Gabriel, in the meantime, looked like he was about to gag - he was happy for his brother and for Mirian, but too much romance could make any boy his age feel a little squeamish.

Mirian was biting her lip in embarrassment, but she held Risek's gaze until he turned to ride off with Link. She hated to watch him going, but as he went, she somehow wasn't completely worried either. Both riders were able to take care of themselves, and as she had the thought, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Looks like we're in the same boat now," Zelda said as Mirian looked at her.

"I know," Mirian nodded, looking back in the direction the two men had ridden off in. "But I know they'll be alright."

Zelda offered a warm smile and nodded her head. "I feel the same way. We'll just have to keep remembering that, and in the meantime, speak with Myriad again and see what she's learned. Would you care to go do so now?"

Mirian looked at the stone that Zelda held in her gloved hand, and then she glanced back up and gave the Princess a nod. "Yes, let's do that. I'm anxious to find out what she's learned."

Smiling, Zelda turned to go to one of the empty tents so they could commune with the Sage. If luck was on their side, Myriad would have a good number of answers for them now.

Link and Risek stayed off of the main roadways. Both of them had tugged hooded cloaks from the pouches tied to their saddles to use which would help conceal their identities, and kept to the trees as they rode with Risek leading the way. They both made good time despite not sticking to the beaten path because neither of them needed to stop for a break often at all. Also, Risek seemed to know the area very well, including shortcuts, so this made the long way around that they were taking to the Shrine almost end up matching the same time it would have taken if they'd chosen the direct path that everyone traveled.

It had been a long time since Risek had been to Port Sun - he was a merchant sailor the last time he'd been there - but he still remembered the areas surrounding it well. Link kept up with him easily, and eventually, the Prince almost stopped worrying that he might've left the Hylian behind.

The nighttime stars twinkled overhead through the canopy of trees, the moon full and offering them both a good amount of light as they went. Though the ride seemed to be uneventful, either rider was wary of his surroundings, eyes opened for potential threats, ears as well. Who knew when a Drake might show up, and without Mirian around, it might not be so easy to get rid of it.

They each took a break once during the long ride, and sometime in the middle of the night as it was now - Link was guessing it was past midnight due to the position of the moon in the sky - Risek came to a slow stop, and Link tugged up on his reigns. Trotting over to where the Prince stood at the apex of a hill they'd reached, Link looked out to see a huge black ocean stretching as far as his eyes could see. It was dark, but it wasn't hard to be able to tell where the land stopped and the sea began, mostly because of the tiny lights flickering in the port town that stood in the distance. Port Sun.

Link had never seen the sea before, and even in the dark, it looked massive. He stared quietly, and then looked over at Risek, asking, "Where's the Shrine?"

"Do you see the rock wall to the right of the port?"

Link looked over, able to see the distant cliff that rose up next to the seaside town, the waves crashing against its base, and he nodded his head, "I see it."

"The Shrine is on the other side of the hill there where the cliff starts to rise up."

Separating them from the hill Risek was speaking of was a long stretch of empty land - no trees to hide either of them, just wide open space. The port town was probably a half a mile into the distance - easily seen because everything went downhill from where they both sat on their horses - and Link nodded in understanding. "We'll have to be careful and move quickly."

"I don't see anyone about. But it's a shame we don't have one of Zelda's invisibility spells," Risek told Link.

"I agree," Link nodded, and then he looked over at his friend. "We'll just have to do it the old fashioned way."

Risek was about to give his agreement when he heard something overhead and a large shadow covered the both of them through the trees. A shriek sounded, and both Link and Risek looked up into the sky. A Drake had just flown overhead, and it was heading directly toward the cliff that Risek had just pointed out from the way it looked. Link let out a little sigh of breath, commenting, "It looks like it's heading to the Shrine."

"It does," Risek nodded, "but why?"

"I don't know," Link said, staring ahead after the creature, then he tightened his fists on his reigns, "maybe it's coincidence, but we'd better get there before anything bad can happen."

Risek looked as unsettled about it as Link felt, and he nodded. "Come on," he started, then dug his heels into his horse's flanks and took off. Link was right behind him, and they both rode out from under the canopy of trees and began heading toward the Shrine of Farore which neither of them could see just yet because it was too far away, hidden beyond a hill and more trees lining it. Link just hoped they could make it before anything could happen that might ruin their chance for more information.


	54. Power

_Chapter 55 - Power_

Link and Risek had just come over the hill they'd been traveling toward to see the Drake circling in the sky overhead of the Shrine of Farore in the short distance toward the edge of the cliff. The creature moved around in a circle, and as they drew closer, they noticed a rider on the animal's back - one of the White Knights, but which one was another question. Risek still hadn't identified all of them at that point, so it could have been Lukas or Arrik, or someone else altogether.

They didn't slow down though, continued heading toward the Shrine as the Drake came down for a landing close to the building with a thud and a short shriek. The Shrine itself was a tall structure with marble walls and four towers lining each of them at the corners. There was a large courtyard standing before it with a fountain and a statue of Farore who held two swords in each hand crossed over her chest in a protective stance at the center of the pool of water. This all stood before the many stairs that led up to the doors of the Shrine.

The Drake and his rider had landed next to that pool of water, and Link and Risek both drew their mounts to a stop after entering the general area, watching as their enemy turning to face them.

This Drake had a harness on its maul, and the Knight on its back drew up on the reigns, which made the beast shriek loudly and snarl. Ten feet of distance stood between the Knight and the two riders now, and knowing it was pointless to hide themselves, both riders removed the hoods of their cloaks. Link tugged the Master Sword from its hilt and Risek checked his crossbow on his left arm to see it was fully loaded with bolts, then drew his cutlass from his own back, both men ready for anything. After all, this knight more than likely wasn't going to go peacefully.

The knight was silent for a few moments, curling his fists covered in clawed gauntlets around the reigns as he looked over the two before him. That was when a magical voice rumbled out to them both. "This must be a blessing from the Goddesses," the Knight began. "The Hylian and the Royal Prince in one package. Arrik will be pleased."

"Let us pass and leave this place," Risek said, his voice as strong as ever, "or suffer the consequences."

Silence ensued those words, but suddenly the Knight started laughing, his voice rumbling in their ears as his Drake let a hiss down at Link and Risek both, reminding them that this enemy was not one that would be easily taken down despite Risek's confidently spoken words. The Knight seemed to know it as well when he told them both, "Bold words, though I expected no less from one worthy of the Triforce of Power. I've been directed to make you the offer of alliance, Risek, but considering the way you've already aligned yourself with heretics, I doubt you'll be wise enough to accept."

"You're right," Risek replied, holding his cutlass at the ready. "As it seems, you're not wise enough to step down and end this peacefully either."

The Knight reached his hand out and in his fist, and magically, a long sword began to form out of thin air, the blade double edged and glinting in the moonlight. Link exchanged a look with Risek, then turned his arm and put the Master Sword back into its sheath with a shake of his head. Risek watched him sheathing his weapon with a slight bit of curiosity before he noticed Link's fingers wrapping around the handle of the bow he carried on his back in secret without pulling it out completely.

As he moved, he told Risek as softly as possible, "He won't be able to catch two targets at once. When I fire and blind him, you go left, I'll go right."

Risek gave a single nod, putting his own blade away then followed by glancing back at their enemy. As they both put away their weapons, the Knight, who'd stepped forward on his Drake, spoke, "It's unwise to disarm yourself if you're intending to resist. Could it be that you have changed your minds, perhaps?"

"Not really," Link spoke up, his hand still around the handle of his bow. "We just figured your weapon wasn't worth our time."

"You have figured incorrectly," the Knight countered menacingly. "Now I will give you one last chance before I show you why. Will you yield?"

Link seemed to consider that for a moment, then he tugged his bow around quickly and grabbed an arrow from his quiver, replying as he notched it and aimed, "Never," and the arrow sparked to life with light, the same thing that Risek had seen back in Hyrule upon their first meeting with these Knights.

Link wasted no time and sent the light arrow sailing directly at the Knight's head. The armor he wore covering his face would protect him from the arrow itself, but as soon as it hit, the light magic exploded around him, blinding him, making his Drake rear back with a loud shriek. Their enemy let a stifled grunt, unable to see for a long moment before he finally managed to look and see that both riders had taken off, but he only spotted Risek's horse retreating from the area. So he picked the Prince as his first target.

The Knight gripped his reigns and the Drake let a roar before it spread its wings and took off on a gust of air beneath the appendages as they flapped to follow the Prince. Nairim carried Risek at a swift pace away from the Knight, not a slow horse, but Risek wasn't oblivious that the Drake would be faster and was right behind him. Indeed, it was flying much more swiftly than his steed could run, soon engulfing him in shadow under the full moon. When he glanced back, he knew the Drake was going to attempt to grab him in its clawed hands and potentially carry him back to the Palace of Althor, and would no doubt do the same to Link as well.

While the Drake began to close in however, and Risek attempted to get out of reach, he noticed a bright flash of light coming from behind him and above and heard the white Drake shrieking in pain. Link, having seen which target the White Knight had followed - which was Risek and not himself - took up the rear behind them both and was holding onto his saddle with his legs while he'd shot an arrow at the belly of the now flying Drake, which stabbed itself right into the creature's gut. It exploded on impact, causing the Drake to falter in its trajectory with pain, and it missed grabbing Risek from the ground by several feet.

Now out of harm's reach, Risek pulled his horse to the side and tugged up on the reigns to stop his mount before he looked back as the air overhead reverberated over him while the Drake flew past. He then saw Link riding in behind their enemy swiftly, following with his hookshot in hand now that the Drake had slowed down for the moment. Link got his chance while aiming and fired off the tool, the chain flying upward swiftly into the Drake not too far from where the arrow had hit it before the fifteen foot long animal could recover and regain its speed.

When the hooked end managed to stab into the beast, Link let go of the saddle he was riding on and went flying through the air towards it. On the way up toward his enemy, he tugged the Master Sword from his back and held fast to it, leaving Risek safely below for the moment.

Link grabbed one of the Drake's spines when he got to the animal and used it to steady himself, releasing the chain which zipped back into the hookshot. Then he used the spine to tug himself up just as the rider was managing to turn the Drake in midair to go back and attack once more. Getting his footing, the Drake roaring loudly in response to turning, Link looked down at the harness holding the Knight's saddle in place while the wind whipped over him, tearing his windsock from his head which fluttered down to the ground below, his blonde hair whipping about his head.

Before the Knight even knew he had a stowaway, Link slipped the tip of the Master Sword beneath that harness and cut it loose, then pulled back and lifting his leg before shoving it into the Knight back to knock him off of his mount completely.

The Knight stumbled to the side without realizing that his harness was no longer secured when he went to try to turn and make a retaliation. It caused the saddle to slip completely to the side and his body weight pulled him off of the animal completely, sending him falling toward the ground and into the pool outside of the Shrine with a loud splash of water, his harness and saddle landing not too far away from him.

Link didn't have the time to see where the Knight had landed because the Drake had suddenly whipped its long tail at him, which made him turn to defend himself from it with the use of his shield. He knew he had to take the animal out quickly, and as he warded off the lashes of the tail, the Drake was turning over in a barrel-roll to try to dump Link off completely. Link just managed to grab the reigns still in the Drake's mouth before he could fall, hanging on tightly.

Risek watched the Knight falling into the pool of water and glanced back up at the sky to see the Drake turning over in a complete circle while Link held on by the reigns, and he knew his crossbow wasn't going to be very helpful to Link in that moment. That aside, the Drake was out of range for now anyway, not to mention the Knight who was working his way to his feet and climbing out of the pool of water was now heading directly toward Risek, so the Prince finally had an opponent while Link was busy with the Drake.

Risek had tugged his cutlass back out long before the Knight had fallen from his mount, settled over twenty feet away on his mount from where the Knight had landed. As the armored foe approached, he held up a single hand and pointed it at the Prince, and a bright light began to shine in his palm, growing in size and power with each moment - some kind of magical attack about to be unleashed.

Risek reacted as quickly as he could by drawing a hand in and against his chest, focusing on the magic that he did actually know, and the symbol of the Triforce on the back of his left hand beneath his glove began to glow a golden color without his knowledge. As the Knight released his attack, which flew toward the Prince swiftly in a loud whir, Risek erected a barrier of magical shielding around himself that went up in a bright blue flame just in time. The shield caused the blast his enemy had sent to him to explode and disintegrate against it completely in tiny shimmers of white light, protecting not only Risek, but his horse as well.

The barrier went up faster than Risek thought he'd be able to erect it, and he looked remembered what had happened in Hyrule, how his magic had seemed more potent then as well. Realizing this, he reached for the glove on his left hand and tugged it off to see that the symbol of the Triforce, which was glowing now. Taking in a breath with the confirmation, he discarded his glove quickly as he couldn't really take the time to think it all over in that moment and focused his attention on his enemy.

The White Knight was ready as well. Risek took up his reigns and turned his horse just as the armored Knight let a loud battle cry and began to charge toward him with his sword outstretched to attack, the blade starting to glow on the way.

In the air, Link had managed to hang on long enough to prevent being thrown as well as to get the Drake's tail off his back by cutting off the tip of it with his sword. Once the beast had settled afterwards and began to head toward the ground for a landing and possibly to reunite with his master, Link turned around and lifted his blade swiftly, pointing the tip down, and he jabbed it as deeply into the animal as he could. The Drake let a roar in response, and the pain made it crash into the ground instead of land normally, about thirty feet beyond the position where Risek and the Knight were about to do battle. It blew up chunks of dirt and grass beneath it while Link held on tightly, trying to keep himself from being thrown.

This crash landing didn't distract Risek or the Knight whatsoever. Risek rode toward his enemy as if in joust with the Knight, drawing his cutlass up when they reached the same proximity to hear a loud clash of metal against his enemy's long sword, which proved to be too great. The Knight used his strength and knocked Risek from his horse completely, sending him flying backwards with a burst of energy through the air and onto the ground. Risek's breath was knocked from his lungs as he landed, disorienting him, but not enough to keep him down completely.

Before the Knight could launch a second attack, Risek pushed himself over and lifted his blade, having been able to tell from the shadow behind him that his enemy was incoming, and his cutlass met the long sword as he rolled onto his back, blocking him from being harmed. His enemy then drew back his sword and went in for another blow, which Risek rolled away quickly from and stood on his feet again. Following this, he turned to attack in retaliation, managing to make a dent in the armor, but there was the problem. The Knight was so well armored that he knew, without Link's help, he wasn't going to be able to do enough damage fast enough.

Though he couldn't watch, he could still see Link in the distance, doing battle with the Drake who was trying his best to contain the Hylian Knight. But Link was proving to be too stubborn to just allow himself to get caught.

Risek kept up with his enemy's blows, warding them off and occasionally getting a hit of his own. But the Knight moved swiftly, and Risek soon found his upper arm cut into, followed by a quick jab to the mouth with the butt of the Knight's sword, which knocked the Prince backwards completely, blood running down his chin as he came to rest on his back across the grass, his weapon knocked about five feet away from him.

Risek shook his head and turned his eyes up, giving a cold green glare to the tip of the sword placed against his chest now, trapping him where he was.

"Surrender to us, Risek," The Knight rumbled out. "You cannot win this."

Risek noticed where his cutlass lay out of reach to his left but close enough to roll and grab, but the blade being pointed at him was too close for him to do so. So he looked back up at the White Knight standing over him now instead and informed him, "You'll have to kill me."

"No," the Knight replied, "but I have a better idea for you." His right fist began to glow as he explained, "You can collect Link for me. That should take care of both of you. I'll just have to give you a little divine persuasion."

Mind control, Risek thought to himself, remembering how Link had attacked him in the Palace under that control, how Zelda had been stabbed by Lindon in Hyrule, and how Link had been attacked by a fellow Knight as well, all due to the same type of persuasion. This, on top of knowing this Knight was one of the ones responsible for the death of Marcelle and for keeping the King - his own father - in the sickly situation he was now in, fueled Risek's anger and sent it to a level that he'd never felt it meet before. Looking to the left once more where his sword lay, he again saw the Triforce emblem glowing, the solid triangle at the top standing out.

As the Knight began casting his spell, something in Risek told him he not only couldn't let this happen, but he _didn't have to_. He wasn't weak, and he had the power to obliterate this object in his path should he have so wished it.

"_Never_!," Risek yelled and grabbed the end of the Knight's blade. As he did, a surge of energy shot through the metal of the weapon and caused it to glow brightly, suddenly, the blue energy bursting up and out of the hilt the Knight was holding onto without any warning whatsoever. Risek was consumed with all the anguish he'd experienced, and it festered out of him in the form of the magic he knew.

All of it was empowered by the Triforce of Power, and it sent the White Knight flying back so suddenly that it knocked the long sword he'd been threatening the Prince with away and across the yard to stab itself into the ground, far out of the White Knight's reach. The Knight himself landed on the grass about ten feet away from the Prince, now unarmed and weakened by the blast that Risek had sent into him.

Risek pushed himself up following the movement, staring ahead before he grabbed his weapon from the ground, his fists still glowing that blue color with the energy he'd just used, the emblem on his hand still glowing with energy. He kept his green eyes on his now downed enemy as he moved, and turned to head toward him. With each step he took, the blade of Risek's cutlass began to glow brightly as the White Knight now pushed himself up and onto his knees slowly.

This had to end, and Risek knew he had the power to end it.

Link had to take the Drake down once they'd landed because the creature had gotten back up and started fighting him, though it was weakened from their struggle in the air. It's first move was to swipe a set of sharp claws at Link, making the Hylian roll to the side. Following which, Link had to bash the Drake on the head with his shield to keep it back before swinging his blade toward a large hand in order to prevent it from grabbing him and holding onto him. He sliced open the animal's palm with that move, making it let out a roar of pain and reel back quickly.

Link stumbled forward a bit with the strength he'd been putting behind his shield and looked up while the creature sneered a set of sharp fangs down at him. Link twirled the Master Sword up in one hand and sneered right back as if to tell the Drake to 'bring it on' without words. But then he noticed the Drake's neck was twisting, warning him that he was about to snap his jaws down hard and quick.

The Hylian took the warning to heart and dove forward just before the move occurred. As he rolled and came around with his weapon at the ready, the Drake suddenly froze in place as the Hylian Knight stabbed his blade deep into its throat.

Blood began to drip down the Master Sword and onto Link's hands as he held it there with a sneer on his face, then grunted while putting a little effort into turning his arms, and tugged the sword to the side as hard as he could, cutting half of the Drake's throat wide open, sending blood spraying everywhere. The Drake couldn't make a sound because of where it'd been stabbed, so the animal only reared back and suddenly crashed into the ground with a loud, heavy thud, dead on impact, or very close.

Once it had finally settled and the body began to disperse into white flecks of magic not long after it died, Link took a breath for what felt like the first time in a short while. He could see they might actually need some suits of armor if they were going to have to face more of these creatures in the future, but he couldn't consider that just then, and turned around to locate his friend.

He spotted Risek just in time to notice the Prince on the ground beneath the sword of their enemy. Link would've reacted right away, and was about to do so when a burst of energy suddenly flared out unexpectedly and knocked the White Knight away from his friend. Link flinched in the face of the bright blue blast as Risek used his knowledge of the arcane to keep himself from being harmed, and then went to grab his blade. Link watched as the Prince headed toward his now unarmed enemy who was weakened and trying to recover himself, settled on his knees, watched the Prince's blade start to glow on the way, each step the Prince took making Link a little uneasy.

He wasn't simply going to behead him without question, was he? Link knew the Knight didn't deserve much of a chance, but he also knew intuitively that Risek's actions were being fueled by the Triforce of Power.

"Risek!," Link called, and he went running.

Risek was still approaching the Knight, who's armor was currently fading away as if the blow of magic delivered to him had been too much for him to keep himself shielded with it. The magic fading away revealed the face of Alarun, one of Arrik's diplomats who'd been in Hyrule when they'd visited, but his identity didn't draw Risek to a stop at all.

As the Prince stepped within reach, he lifted his blade which was now glowing with his power, and Link called his name again. But instead of attacking Alarun, he pointed the cutlass at him, which cause Link to come to a stop, having thought for certain Risek was about to simply kill him without question.

Link then heard Risek asking him, "Give me a single reason I should let you live after what you've done, and what you've assisted in doing, Alarun."

Alarun looked up, blood dripping down from his nose and to his upper lip from the blow he'd sustained, and he said on a normal tone of voice, "Dispense your brand of justice, Prince Risek. I die with my soul unblemished and in the Goddesses' favor. According to your law, you have no other choice but to execute me for what you deem as my crimes. I happily await that justification."

Link, who had come in closer, took a breath before he said, "You don't have to kill him, Risek."

"I know, Link," Risek told him, keeping his cool, green eyes fixed on Alarun, who looked a little confused now. But Risek lowered his blade. "He's not worth the effort or the time. Besides, I won't create what the White Knights would call a martyr to be held over our heads." Risek's blade stopped glowing, and he turned it to put it into its sheath without question.

Link watched every movement with some slight amazement. For him, this sequence of events proved that it was never the Triforce of Power that possessed Ganondorf, but just the opposite. Link had known that the Triforces were all capable of both good and evil, but seeing this particular half being used for good now was still a refreshing change of pace. He thought perhaps the power might have gone to Risek's head, couldn't have been sure due to past experiences, but he thought it was safe to say that this relinquished any and all of his doubts surrounding the potential matter of Risek's influence by the powerful relic.

Link looked from Risek and to Alarun then, who still seemed a little confused, and he said, "We'll just go see that Vicar now and get our answers. Unless _you_ have anything to tell us."

Alarun looked away, his face clearly showing that he wasn't going to give them anything despite the fact that they'd spared his life when they had ever reason not to. He justified it by saying, "I do not speak to heretics."

"Your loss, we're actually pretty nice people once you get to know us," Link shrugged, then turned to walk away, and Risek scoffed at the man and turned to go with his friend.

As they headed toward the pool of the Shrine, Risek pointed out idly, "You lost your hat."

"I know," Link grumbled. "We lost our horses too. They'll be annoying to chase down later."

Tiredly and improperly, Risek replied, "Uh huh," before they both heard a noise coming from behind them and reacted. Simultaneously, their swords came out and they turned, jabbing the weapons forward and impaling Alarun who'd apparently been so ashamed by his defeat that he'd decided to try to stab them in the back, his fist in the air now holding onto a dagger, which suddenly slipped from his fingertips and clattered onto the cobblestone below them.

He stared at them both, his expression going blank slowly, then looked down at both of the blades in his chest. Without fanfare, his body slumped, and the two who'd just ended his life let him fall, lowering their weapons at the same time. It'd been such a sudden thing that they had to let it all sink in before they could even react at all.

Finally, Risek let a sigh of breath, watching Alarun as he toppled over dead. The sound drew Link's attention, and as he looked over at the Prince, he said, "I'm sorry, Risek."

"So am I," Risek admitted. "But not because he forced us to react. I'm sorry he had to be so blinded by his power that he couldn't see any other way around this."

Risek took a breath and glanced over at the Hylian he'd befriended before he went on. "For a moment back there, when he held his blade over me, I felt contempt for him more powerful than I'd ever felt anything before in my life," Risek trailed, then he amended, "well, except for the love I feel for Mirian. But I was tempted, as I approached him, to use the power I now realize I have in this Triforce to merely end him without a second thought, and then use it to burn my way back to the Palace of Althor and crush anyone who stood in my way of taking back my father's throne."

Link listened as Risek spoke in earnest, and he looked back at Alarun laying on the ground before saying, "It wouldn't have stopped at the Throne though. That's why Alarun's dead now, because he didn't know when to stop, and power rarely does."

"No, you're right, it wouldn't have stopped there," Risek agreed. "I knew when I had that thought that I would be throwing away everything I was ever taught to hold meaningful in my life, which would have ruined the entire point of taking it back completely, and I knew it was the way Alarun thought, the way Arrik thinks." Then he leaned down and reached to shut Alarun's eyes in death, finally saying, "I know I have this Triforce because I'm burdened by duty to the Goddesses just like everyone else, not because they wanted to gift me with a privileged life."

Risek stood back up, and Link nodded, completely knowing how that felt. As Risek got back onto his feet again, Link mentioned to him, "It's strange."

"What's that?"

"I was so used to seeing the Triforce of Power in the hands of evil, knowing how badly a force it was to be reckoned with. Hearing you say that is the strange part. I thought for certain you were just going to cut off Alarun's head without a second thought. I guess I was just worried after the things I've seen."

The words made Risek smile after he'd wiped the blood from his chin. "Well, you needn't worry, I'm not Ganondorf, and I guess now we'll have to see what kind of force it is to be reckoned with when on the side of good."

"Let's do that," Link nodded in agreement.

Both of them turned to head into the Shrine, passing the statue of Farore when they both came to a stop, glancing up at the doors which had already opened. In the doorway stood a tall woman, elegantly dressed in a green gown that shimmered as she walked down the steps, the skirt trailing behind her across the marble. Around her upper arms were golden cuffs, as well as her ankles, her feet bare, and behind her was a short, chubby man who wore a green robe with a hood over his head, but his face was somewhat jovial in look.

"The Vicar of Farore," Risek told Link, and Link lifted a single brow in response. She had long white hair that was tied at the very top of her head into a long, flowing ponytail, and after a moment of inspection around the area, she turned to look at the two men who'd come to see her, her green eyes flickering with a bit of mirth that Link couldn't explain the source of.

She was actually a Hylian - easily told by her ears - and she walked over to Link and Risek and came to a stop about five feet before each of them. Both men bowed politely to her before standing back up straight when she said, "Well, a Hylian in Althor," and she looked Link over. Blood stained his hands and a part of his green tunic, but that couldn't be help. She didn't seem to take notice anyway, only informing him, "I haven't seen another of my own kind in years now."

"My Lady," Link greeted politely. "I'm–"

"Link, a Knight of Hyrule," she completed for him. "I know. I've been expecting you and the Prince for a few days now."

A few days? But they'd only just then figured out that they were going to see her earlier that morning. She must have been an Oracle, Link figured, watching as she looked away from him and to the shorter man standing behind her and motioned a hand to him. The man walked over and held out Link's windsock to him as the Vicar said, "I believe this is yours."

"Thank you," Link replied, taking his windsock, but decided not to put it on at that moment in the lady's presence out of politeness.

"You're welcome," she replied, then held a hand to her chest and told the both of them, "I'm Ovana, the Vicar of Farore. I saw your acts of mercy toward the White Knight, and I'm impressed, though he threw that mercy away when he attacked you both. I was ready to put up a defense if needed, but I can see that won't be necessary now. Please, both of you come in for a little rest. I know you're seeking information, so we'll talk inside. Follow Juva, he'll show you the way."

She held out her hand and the short, dumpy man smiled at them, then turned to go back up the steps. Risek and Link both thanked her politely, and began to follow him. They hoped she would have something good, or at least informative to tell them. After all, they'd just come a long way and fought pretty hard to see her. Hopefully that hadn't been for nothing. As they got to the top of the steps where Juva waited, he said, "I'll take you somewhere to clean up before you speak with my Lady Vicar. I'm sure she has much to tell the both of you!"

Juva sounded entirely too excited for their current state of being, but neither man following him now minded it. After all, getting a little cleaned up sounded wonderful, and they were glad that _someone_ was optimistic about the fact that this trip to see the Vicar wouldn't have been for nothing.

Myriad was settled at a table in the library of Hyrule's palace, pouring through books and papers, trying to affirm what she'd promised that she would for Link as the light of the candles flickered over her and the books she was reading through. It was quiet, Myriad the only one there, and she'd tugged out a large tome with the relief of an old crest of ancient Hyrule embossed on the cover.

She went through the pages, the writing in a language not many understood or could read. The only other person that Myriad could even think of that did was Brahm, and perhaps Impa, but she wasn't completely sure about that. In any event, she read through the pages, translating as she went, and what she got was fairly enlightening, if not perhaps a bit archaic.

Myriad sighed, having read these texts before however, knowing a good deal of what they said, and she skipped over a few parts to see what else she could find that she might not have paid as much attention to before. After turning the pages from briefly skimming over the words, suddenly a phrase caught her eyes. It looked familiar to her, and the translation was roughly 'Draconic ruler', which told her it said 'Dragonmaster'. Myriad immediately found the beginning and started reading through it.

_Legend speaks of dragons and their masters, as well as the ancient power they wielded. Dragons were sacred according to these tales, their very being made up of the power and ferocity that the Goddesses exude. From head to tail, they channel this, and their scales, nigh indestructible, carry a piece of their power with them even after separation from their bodies. As legend has it, these scales were a Dragon's gift to one deemed worthy of being its master, as well as the imbuement of blood._

_There were three varieties of dragon, most powerful being the Red of Din's Brood. This was the flock from which the legendary dragon Boemith was said to have come, and they were fierce defenders of their kind and all that the Goddesses held dear. They were mountain dwellers, and rumored to love living within the bellies of volcanoes most. They climbed the high mountains over others, showing their power over all. The Red Flock hailed from the Endigan Mountains according to Legend, now a part of the ancient Kingdom of Alnaric, known today as Althor._

_The second Brood was the White, those born of Nayru's wisdom. These dragons were said to be smaller than the Red, but were cunning hunters and crafty thinkers, lovers of the sea. The most famous of these was Effilius the White, lifelong friend of Boemith. They were swift and the oceans depth was symbolic of the depth of their intelligence, some claiming it would never be known precisely how wise they were. This brood was said to hail from the mystical Island of Navat._

_The last were those of Farore, the Green Brood. These dragons rivaled the Red in size, some growing to be even bigger, and roamed the forests and plains, which may be why it is said that they were the first of the three types to perish at the hands of the people out of fear. The Green were wholehearted and generous beings, courageous and adventurous. They were a larger part of Hylian history, but little is known of their true homeland as much information was lost in the wars. What is know tells that they were protectors of their kind and steadfastly loyal allies, the most well known being Aeonia, who rallied alongside Boemith and Effilius and was the first to create the Dragonmasters._

_All three flocks had these masters eventually, which were mortals chosen for their worth to represent their kind in the cities of people, and considered Draconic Royalty. Many times, a man born as a Dragonmaster was looked upon by his people as a chosen one, treated as a King, and he would appoint comrades to aide him with the power of the scale which he'd been gifted by the dragons in order to keep peace in his lands. If there ever once existed Dragonmasters, then no longer do they live. But legend speaks of them as the lords of all things Draconic, able to command the Broods and possess the skills of Dragonkind to certain limits._

_They were gifted with a scale to keep them safe, and their mounts were Drakes, said to be beasts born of the_

The text became much too faded to read properly for Myriad, so she picked up where she could next find more that was readable.

_...lineages were continued. All Dragonmasters worked together, just as the broods did. All broods would heed the words of any master, though favor their true master's wishes over another's. Their power was gained at birth, with imbuement of blood passed down from son to son, and their skills were enhanced by the scales they carried, also passed down from generation to generation._

Myriad let that settle in quietly, sitting back in her seat while she considered it all. It was archaic, but it was more information than she knew Link and Zelda had, so she'd be happy to pass it along. After all, it confirmed her suspicions, so she would simply have to wait for them to get in touch with her now. She only hoped that Anamirian was faring well, after all, it wasn't a small thing to discover such a lineage about yourself.

It wasn't too long after dark that she heard from the Princess and Mirian, learning that Link had traveled to the Shrine of Farore with Risek in order to find some more answers if they could, and Myriad passed on the knowledge she'd gained to the two ladies with the hopes that it would help them somehow. Once their communion was over, Myriad shut her book when she heard the doors behind her opening, and she stood, then glanced back to see Lyonel coming into the room.

"Myriad? I thought you might be hungry, and there's dinner waiting for us. Have you been here all day?"

"All evening," she replied, turning and walking over to her husband, greeting him with a short kiss, and then informed him of what was going on. "I think I should have a chat with Hadinaru. Is he about?"

"In the Throne Room," Lyonel replied with a nod of his head.

"Good, then I'll go see him and join you for dinner afterwards."

Lyonel gave her a smile, then let her leave and a few moments later, Myriad was in the Throne room with Hadinaru, seated across from him near one of the windows overlooking the fields in the distance. Nissandra had retired early for the evening, having grown a bit sleepier earlier than usual due to her progressing pregnancy, and Myriad told Hadinaru all about Arrik and what they knew so far of the White Knights. She didn't specify that Anamirian was also a Dragonmaster because the young woman didn't want it broadcast to anyone, just as Risek's possession of the Triforce of Power hadn't yet been told to the Hylian royalty. But in either event, it was easy to see that the news he _did_ receive, specifically over Arrik, made Hadinaru look extremely angry.

He'd invited that man into his own home, and he'd repaid that hospitality by nearly having his daughter killed, his future son-in-law injured, and who knew what else that may have happened in their Kingdom that hadn't come to light yet. Now his daughter and Link were fugitives in the Kingdom of Althor, and from the sound of it, civil war was about to be had there with those rallying toward Arrik and the White Knights, and those still honoring the Prince who'd been labeled a traitor and fugitive himself by the Arch Duke.

"I know this angers you, my King," Myriad told Hadinaru, "but I don't think we need to explicitly worry for Zelda and Link. I think this has all come about due to fate. Link's work isn't yet completed, and in order to keep Hyrule safe, he's now working to help restore Althor before Hyrule can become a target."

"I realize that," Hadinaru spoke, perhaps sounding a bit more gruff than he'd meant to, his fists clenching because he was still so angry. Finally, he took a breath and asked, "Your advice, Lady Myriad?"

Anger was evident. Hadinaru only called her Lady Myriad when he was upset, and Myriad told him calmly, "We wait for word on what Link may learn at the Shrine of Farore. If Hyrule intervenes now, when the Kingdom of Althor is being split into two, it could be disastrous for us. We're allying with the true royalty, King Seriun and Prince Risek, and we don't know enough about our enemies yet or exactly what's going on to take any type of foothold. I think we should wait."

Hadinaru didn't seem to specifically like that reply, saying, "And if we wait, Link or Zelda, if not both, may be killed or throne into an Althorian dungeon with no promise of extradition," his voice nearly a growl. "How can I sit idly by like a simpleton and wait for such a thing to occur?"

Myriad looked down, being silent for a moment. Hadinaru waited for an answer, and finally she told him, "I can't answer that. When I waited, it was forced. I had no choice, prisoner in another realm, but to await the time I might hear from my son again. I know it's hard, my King, but it's also all we can do without jeopardizing them further. After all," she looked back up at him, "if you act now, and our enemies turn out to be more powerful than expected," Myriad shook her head slowly, "what kind of Hyrule would Link and Zelda be extradited to?"

Hadinaru took in a deep breath, staring at his royal advisor quietly as he considered that. With a nod of his head, he said, "I understand, but I _am_ going to be thinking of alternate options. I suggest you do the same in the meantime. Hyrule is not going to become an easy target yet again."

"Yes, my King," Myriad agreed without hesitation.

"So tell your husband to ready the Knights. We may be off to battle soon."

Myriad gave a respectful bow of her head, saying, "As you wish," and then she stood up from the seat she'd taken and turned around to go. As she walked to the doors, Hadinaru stopped her by asking her name plainly. When Myriad looked back, he said, "I never really thought about what it must have been like for you to be so helpless when Ganondorf was a threat and you were trapped. I hope you're not offended at my outburst."

"Not at all," she shook her head, "you're a parent who loves his child. If you hadn't become angry, _then_ I might have been offended." She offered him a small smile for what it was worth following those words, and added, "Link and Zelda should be fine. For all intents and purposes, they were fugitives in Hyrule when Ganondorf sat upon the throne, so they've seen this type of situation before. It may be wise to worry, but it would also be wise to remember that."

Hadinaru seemed to understand, and nodded over it. After consideration, he told her, "If what I've heard that happened while my wife and I slumbered is true, then I feel sorry for Arrik for ever labeling those two as such. After what they managed to do with Ganondorf, there's no telling what they might do with _him_. He'll regret this one way or the other if he's not already."

Myriad's smile became much more genuine in response to that. "He will, I'm sure of it." She then bid Hadinaru a good evening and turned around to leave. Hadinaru was most certainly right however. It might take them some time, but Myriad knew that Link and Zelda would eventually make him pay the price he'd bargained for.


	55. Truth in Shadows

_Chapter 56 - Truth in Shadows_

Link washed his hands off in a basin, letting the water drip to a pink tone with the blood he'd gotten on them while standing in the chamber which he stood. It was a private quarter of the Shrine, one that Juva had taken them to where they could wash up, rest a bit, and get a bite to eat. The room they stood in now was made for just that. There weren't any beds, but there were two large, cushioned sofas, the upholstery of which was designed with pretty green and gold patterns, drapes lining the walls to match, the back wall decorated with tall, arched windows, and the floors were marble.

The entire Shrine was designed nicely though, elaborately decorated with murals and tapestries, statues, the walls mostly stone or marble, and kept spotlessly clean by the custodians and the studying ministry. The Templars - priests and priestesses who served a position just beneath the Vicar - were happy to help, care for, and invite the two visitors into the Shrine with hospitality.

In the center of the particular room that Link and Risek had been taken to was a large table with a bouquet of exotic flowers in the center, and surrounding it was a selection of fruits, vegetables, breads, and various types of dips and sauces which had been set out by some of the custodians of the Shrine for them incase they were hungry. The Templars used magic to restore Link and Risek's energy while they waited as well as to heal them of whatever injuries they may have sustained, of which luckily neither of them were too bad off besides some bumps and bruises.

They'd rolled in a cart with a wash basin and some towels on it as well, and it was after they'd left with the promise that Ovana would be right there that Link and Risek went to use the basin to wash off a little, followed by checking over the offerings. Link automatically reached for a little bit, but Risek seemed somewhat reluctant until Link said it might be considered rude if they didn't at least try some.

"Why is that?"

"They went to the trouble to bring it," Link shrugged, chewing on a berry he'd just popped into his mouth, "and I don't know how they might look at ignoring hospitality."

Risek shrugged, supposing he was right, and finally sampled a bit himself. They weren't left alone for long however when Ovana came back in, Juva following her, and apologized after shutting the door by saying, "I'm sorry if that took too long, I realize that time is of essence to the both of you right now."

"It's fine, my Lady," Risek replied respectfully.

"We appreciate your thought," Link added, finishing off a piece of bread he'd taken from the table. Turning to face Ovana completely once he had, he asked, "I do have a question for you though. How did you know we were coming a few days ago? We only just made the decision this morning."

Ovana smiled, taking a step as Juva grabbed the bottom of her long skirt and followed her so that as she walked, it wouldn't snag on anything, and headed to the table near where the men stood. "You could say that I'm a bit of a fortune teller when I need to be. My mentor was an Oracle, and I've picked up many of her skills. A few days ago, my visions showed visitors needing information coming to my doorstep, one was Royalty, the other a warrior from my homeland, though I'm surprised to find out that you're carrying the essence of Farore within you."

Juva popped out from behind her and looked surprised, "He does, Lady Vicar!"

Link's eyes blinked when she mentioned that she knew about it, and she gave Juva a nod of her head before she continued smiling at Link in a friendly manner. "The Triforce of Courage is in you, I can sense it's power resonating from your soul, and I saw for myself what it's helping you to accomplish."

Link didn't deny it, gave her a nod of his head, and then he asked, "So then, do you know _why_ we've come here?"

"I know you need information," she smiled, then waved a hand between them and suggested, "so ask me a question."

Link looked at Risek, and back again, letting the Prince take the reigns now. "Have you ever heard of the White Knights of Alnaric? Or the Dragonmasters?"

Juva got a distasteful look as Ovana replied, "Yes, the White Knights _are_ Dragonmasters. I know they're about again, causing trouble. I spoke to my sister in the Shrine of Din three days ago, and she's unhappy with the development. But of course, there's nothing we can do ourselves to turn these events around. _That_ is all in the hands of the Goddesses."

Risek looked at Link, understanding the Shrines wouldn't have enough power to go up against Althor or the White Knights and stop any of this from happening, but knowing that she understood exactly what was going on was a relief. Link felt the same way, and he glanced back at Ovana and asked her, "What do you know about Dragonmasters then?"

With a little smile, Ovana turned and walked past them, Juva keeping up somewhat humorously with her as if he'd been doing this all of his life as the Vicar started saying, "I am a Vicar. I can tell you all about what that means, but I'm certain none of that information will help you. I think," she stopped and turned to face them while settling on a sofa and motioning for them to both take a seat across from her as well, "what the two of you need to know is the origins of such things and what they can do. Or more specifically how they can be stopped."

Link and Risek stepped over and settled themselves down in the seats she'd offered to them, as Risek asked her on the way, "Do you know of their origins? Or what might stop them?"

Ovana waited until they'd settled themselves before she said anymore. Once she had their attention again, she replied, "I know more than the average person. I know because these are tales of the Goddesses, and it's my duty to make sure to memorize every bit of information, whether true or false, regarding the Goddesses that I can possibly know. I may know a bit more regarding Farore than Nayru or Din, but I do know what you're asking of."

Ovana sat forward a bit and crossed her arms over her thighs to lean on them, her green eyes glinting as she let her words sink in before she suggested, "You are seeking the ruins of the old kingdom."

Risek's brows narrowed. "The Ruins of Alnaric?"

With a nod of her head, Ovana expounded, "Yes. I had a vision a few months ago that there was a cry coming out of the Endigan Mountains where Alnaric used to reside, confused souls perhaps trapped there who needed answers, and that a group of people not so dissimilar from yourselves was trying to reach it. When those people arrived, they found exactly what they were looking for, a way to end all of their struggles and alleviate the cry that had been calling to them. I knew the vision was a premonition of things to come instead of something that had already passed because the outcome was uncertain. Nothing is set in stone after all. But I do know that what you need, the answers you truly seek, lay in the forbidden slopes of the mountains."

Juva had raised his brows as if he found this all to be exciting and riveting stuff. As he did, Link and Risek looked at one another, letting that information pass between them, and then Link asked both of them, "Why are they forbidden?"

"Because the ruins of Alnaric lay in them," Juva chimed in with explanation, "and it's against royal law to travel there. The lands are sacred."

"They are," Ovana agreed. "But I think if there was ever a time to break with Royal decree, it would be now, Prince Risek. What awaits you on those slopes is more than you can imagine. My visions have never lied to me once now."

Risek sighed, not certain he liked the sound of that considering recent events, but he gave a nod of his head, knowing that Royal decree meant little these days, and that aside, he was the Prince of Althor, so he could make that decision in either case. "I do have one question, if you have the answer." When she lifted her head a bit to tell him wordlessly to go on, he asked her, "Why the Endigan Mountains?"

"I can't say for certain," Ovana told him in honesty. "I only know what my vision showed me. But if answers are to be had, you'll have them when you arrive, I can tell you at least that much for certain. I myself wish I knew more, wish I could go there with you to see. It's become a very popular subject these past few days around the Shrine, all this talk of what may be coming, what it may mean. My Templars are just as worried as any normal citizen of Althor, and not because of a lack of faith, but because they want to make sure they're doing things right for everyone. So I wish I had a more thorough answer for you, Prince Risek."

Ovana settled back then, watching the two men think for a moment over what she'd just told them. After they'd seemed to have enough time for it to sink in and take hold, she added, "I hope that what I have given you helps somehow. I'm uncertain, but I believe my Shrine was in danger from the Knight you stopped outside. He had probably come here to try to demand fealty to his kind, and to the throne of Althor under their control, or perhaps to ask if we'd seen you or anyone you know, so I at least owe you everything I can possibly give to you regardless of why you've come here. Thank you."

"It's more than we'd had before," Link said in response. "You don't need to thank us for anything either."

Ovana suddenly got a genuine smile across her pretty face. "I can see why you were chosen to bear Farore's essence."

Link looked a little confused in response to that comment, glancing from Risek and back to her, asking, "Why is that? Was it something I did?"

"Did _and_ said," Ovana nodded. "Farore has always been painted out as a generous soul, fiercely courageous, and expecting little in return for the gifts she bestows to others outside of what's simply expected of them. She is actually the most jovial of the three sisters." Juva nodded happily in completely agreement.

Thinking now, Link realized he didn't actually know as much about the Goddesses as he figured he could have. He knew of them, knew what they expected and knew their stories, but besides that, he couldn't say he had much information. "I never really thought of either of them as jovial," he admitted.

"Well," Ovana chuckled, "it's neither here nor there concerning the reason you're here now. Certainly each Goddess has her wrath and then her generosity," Ovana looked at Juva who'd nodded again in agreement.

"They can all dish out the wrath for sure," he noted somewhat comically.

Ovana smiled, then looked back at Link and Risek, adding, "But there's also much information on their relationships together and what they're like. Farore was the jovial one, which sometimes caused friction between herself and Din. Nayru is quiet and proper, often serving as mediator for her sisters. Din, well," Ovana smiled, "let's just say she does nothing without intensity. She's feisty."

Juva snickered, "She's furious energy, whether happy or angry!"

Suddenly Link looked over at Risek and teased him by saying, "That doesn't sound like you at all," with a big grin on his face.

Risek pursed his lips, then rolled his eyes a bit. "No one asked."

Suddenly Ovana started laughing. "You might be surprised, Link. But in any event, I know you two didn't come to stay, and I've had your horses wrangled and brought back to be taken from the Shrine when you go. That should save you both some time and trouble. If you need anything else from me, let me know. Visit my sister Vicars sometime as well, they'll be happy to assist you if you should need it."

Both Link and Risek nodded in turn at the Vicar and gave their deepest thanks as they went ahead and stood like she was moving now to do. As she did, she added, "I've also had some provisions stocked up for you to take back to those in your care now, the villagers hiding from the White Knights and accused of inciting revolt in Althor."

Risek narrowed his brows, asking her then, "How did you know about them?"

Ovana held a finger up to her lips with a friendly smile as if to say 'shush'. Then she lowered it and told him, "I don't know where they are, and I don't want you to accidentally tell me, less the Knights come here again looking for them. At least, in that event, I could be honest when I said I didn't know where they are."

She must have had a vision of it, Risek guessed, or maybe heard rumor, and he nodded to her request, wanting to keep the location a secret like she'd suggested. "Thank you. I'm not sure we'll be able to make it back with just our horses to carry these provisions however. Link and I are wanted men of course, so we have to take a path off the beaten trail."

"Oh, hush," Ovana smirked, then she looked down, saying, "Juva, where are they?"

"One moment, Lady Vicar, they're in my pocket!"

He was fishing for something, and finally he seemed to find it as he got out, "Oh, there they are!," and he lifted something in his hand to Ovana, who took it and patted the short man's head as if she were amused.

She then reached out her hand to Link and Risek and opened her fingers, revealing two small stones in her palm, both of which were glowing a soft glue color. "This is the last gift I have for you. They won't last, but I thought they might come in handy."

"What are they?," Link asked as she placed a stone in each of their hands.

"Ghost stones. They should last long enough for you to make it back to your settlement without being seen. When the glowing begins to fade, and then blink out of sight, you'll know they've lost their power. With two, you'll still be able to see one another, and the power will last a bit longer as well, longer than they normally last. They'll make you both as a ghost, not only invisible, but unheard, and untouchable."

That seemed to surprise both of them, and Link mentioned aloud, "Well, that fixes the trouble of carrying provisions back to the settlement," then looked over at Risek who gave a nod of his head in agreement.

"Yes, thank you, Lady Vicar."

"No need for thanks," Ovana raised her hands as she spoke as if to stop them both, mimicking Link in the fact that she was reminding people that they didn't need to be grateful for what was a simple act of common courtesy. "Just try to get those provisions to the people, and put Althor back in the status it should be in." She lowered her hands then, her smile still in place, and finished by saying, "Go on now, the villagers won't wait forever. Juva, accompany them down, would you?"

"Yes, Lady Vicar!," Juva nodded and went to show them back outside.

Link and Risek both thanked Ovana once again and then turned to go with the short, dumpy man who was already leaving the room. As they made it to the door, Risek came to a stop, saying, "One more thing, Lady Vicar, is there," and he turned to look back, seeing that the Vicar was gone now.

Link lifted a brow when he realized this, then looked at the Prince, suggesting, "She's quick."

"Agreed," Risek drew out, turning to the door to pull it open. "Guess that's one way to end a conversation."

Juva started snickering, saying, "Sometimes she does that. It keeps everyone on their toes since they don't know where she'll be next. I think she does it just because she thinks it's funny though." He then turned and waved a hand, "Come on, I'll see you out."

A few minutes later, Link and Risek were back in the courtyard, and Ovana hadn't lied. Their horses were both there, loaded up with a cart attached to each, carrying provisions covered in a clothe and tied down with rope. As the men headed to their horses, mounting them both while bidding Juva a goodbye.

Once they were on their horses back, and ready to make their way to the encampment once again, Link considered how he'd be happy just to make sure that Zelda was okay once he got there. That line of thought got him to remembering his goodbye kiss to her, and he looked over at Risek and said seemingly out of context, "You know, you missed your chance earlier with Mirian."

The sudden line made Risek give Link a strange look, and Link shrugged, "I'm simply saying if that had been Zelda, I would have kissed her senseless."

_Marcelle's double_, Risek thought for a moment, and normally he would've rolled his eyes, but instead, he suddenly began laughing. It wasn't just any laugh either, it was one of those belly-laughs where you knew the person was thoroughly amused at something.

The response made Link look over at him with a confused expression. "That's a little odd for you, Risek. What are you laughing about?"

"You remind me of Marcelle," Risek informed him as he took his reigns up and sobered slowly from his mirth. "I knew he would've said something about it when I didn't take advantage of the situation, well, if Mirian wasn't his sister anyway. But now that you are, I couldn't help but think of him, and I just found it amusing."

Link smirked over the explanation as he went to go tug his Ghost Stone from his pouch, when a thought suddenly popped into his head over their talking. Link had heard of the Endigan Mountain's before, and he'd also heard Risek mentioning something about the forbidden slopes, so he asked him, "Risek, you said Marcelle was going to the Endigan Mountains before he disappeared, didn't you? Something about looking for trespasser? Do you think maybe we'll find out exactly what happened to him when we go there?"

That was definitely a sobering thought, and Risek glanced at Link somewhat uncertainly. He couldn't help but shrug, "I don't know. But it would be a relief to finally have some answers concerning it."

Link hoped that they did. After all, it would be good to finally get another mystery solved. In the effort of having that knowledge, Link said, "Well, let's get going then so we can find out once and for all. Not to mention I want to get back before more of those Drakes come along and cause any trouble."

Risek was in full agreement, and the two of them started to take off. With the stones in hand, they were able to ride as freely as they wanted to without the worry that anyone would see them who shouldn't. It made the trip back a lot less aggravating than the one going there had been.

—

It was still dark outside, only an hour before dawn or so, clouds gathering in the sky over the encampment. Only a few people were up at that hour, either getting supplies together, hunting, or taking watch for intruders, mostly though to keep an eye out for the White Knights. Aggie had told all the men on his guard about the incident with the Drake, so they were all alert, and making as sure as they could to keep their eyes open.

Zelda and Mirian had fallen asleep across from one another in the same tent for the evening after communing with Myriad earlier. The sage seemed to have a good many of her suspicions confirmed by the time they spoke, and Zelda alerted her to Link's visit to the Shrine of Farore. In turn, Myriad told Mirian a good number of things about the Dragons and their master's powers. She informed Mirian that like the White Knights, Mirian would also have the power to summon draconic creatures to her aide, because of the scale that she possessed. She would simply have to be taught how to do it.

Like always, Mirian woke up before dawn because of her habits serving in the Palace, and she wondered if she should try to go back to sleep or if she should get up to go check on everyone. As she considered it, settled there on her pallet quietly, Zelda suddenly spoke and interrupted her thoughts, asking, "Can't sleep?"

She sounded a little groggy, and Mirian glanced over at her and shook her head, "It's not that. I always wake up this early. What about you?"

"I slept well actually," Zelda told her, sitting up on her pallet like Mirian had. "I was awake when I heard you stirring, just trying to relax and rest a little. So I hadn't actually gotten up yet."

Mirian gave a nod of her head and smoothed the bottom of her dress out over her legs while Zelda lit a candle and settled it on the floor between them, letting some light into the tent. "I thought about trying to go back to sleep," Mirian said, "but I don't think I'll be able to."

"Neither do I," Zelda told her. "I tried, but I kept thinking about Link and wondering how he was."

Mirian understood that. She hadn't been up long, but she knew Risek and Link were due back any time, and she was wondering how their night had been. She also knew she would end up thinking more about the things Myriad had told them the evening before and that might also help to keep her awake instead of going back to sleep. As she considered those things, she grabbed a hair brush and began to drag it through her red mane of hair while Zelda straightened her pallet out a bit to make it more comfortable.

"Zelda, do you really think I could summon a Drake like the White Knights can?"

The idle question made Zelda look over as she'd settled herself back down on her current bed and she nodded her head in response. "I think so. I don't think it would be so different than summoning items with regular magic. But it might take a while to learn because a Drake is apparently a complex thing."

Mirian considered that, and then offered the brush to Zelda incase the lady wanted to get her own hair straightened out. Zelda reached to take it while Mirian asked, "Can _you_ summon things?"

Zelda gave the chambermaid a nod of her head, dragging the brush through her blonde locks, smoothing them out. "Yes, I can summon things, but depending on what I'm summoning, it's honestly not one of my forte's."

Mirian sat forward with the explanation, asking, "Could you show me a little? Maybe if you get me started, I can figure it out on my own, because summoning such a creature and leaving it here to protect the encampment incase we all have to leave would be wonderful."

Zelda thought about that, agreeing with Mirian that leaving a Drake here _would_ be an ideal means of protection for the villagers, but at the same time, she wondered just how easily Mirian might learn. Still, she was willing to try, so she gave Mirian a nod of her head and scooted to the end of her pallet. Mirian smiled and then moved in closer as well. She followed Zelda's lead when the Princess settled the hair brush down and reached out her hands to take her friend's, and once they had a hold on each other, Zelda took a breath and began to speak.

"Have you had any training in magic at all?"

"No," Mirian shook her head, "but I've seen the Mages at Althor's Academy working more than once."

Zelda gave a nod, "I guess that will have to suffice. I was being trained in magic from a fairly young age, and most are. Usually, the first teachings of magic are just basic instructions of what magic is, how it can be used, and so on. But I'll skip that for now. Summoning is one of the arts a person pursues as a sole magic interest because it can be so difficult to do. Before you can do any magic at all though, you need to be able to gather your energy first. So that seems like the best place to start."

"Alright," Mirian nodded her head, keeping up so far. "How do I gather my energy?"

"Close your eyes," Zelda instructed, remembering being given these similar kinds of lessons when she was a young girl by Impa, and once Mirian had complied, she added, "now focus on the energy you feel within you. Everyone has it, otherwise we wouldn't be able to move or do much of anything at all." Zelda got quiet to let Mirian focus on that, her voice soft and soothing as she went on. "You can feel it flowing like a part of your soul."

Mirian did her best to comply to Zelda's wishes, focusing on her energy, and she heard Zelda saying the words, "That's good, Mirian," as if she could tell how Mirian was doing just by looking.

"What?," Mirian asked softly.

"Keep focusing," Zelda told her, so Mirian continued on, while Zelda added, "focus on where it feels the strongest in you, and try to use your mind to gather it to that one spot where the most energy already seems to be." After a moment of letting Mirian do this, Zelda asked her, "Yes, like that, can you feel all of that energy gathering in once place now? Maybe the pit of your stomach, or in your chest? Like a pulsing."

Mirian nodded her head, eyes still closed, saying, "It's in the pit of my stomach."

"How does it feel?"

"Warm," Mirian replied, "like sunlight on a spring day."

Zelda couldn't help smiling, and finally instructed Mirian to, "Open your eyes."

Mirian did as Zelda suggested and opened her eyes, and she was surprised by what she saw. There was a ball of energy located between the two women and their held hands, glowing softly in a golden color. Zelda watched Mirian look surprised before she asked, "_I_ did that?"

"Yes," Zelda nodded, smiling when Mirian did, knowing she felt accomplished. "You've drawn your energy, and you should practice doing this by yourself to strengthen it. Magic users give it very little thought before casting their spells, and over time you will as well." Zelda then went to let go of her hands, slowly, saying, "You can manipulate it if you want, though it'll disperse afterwards."

Mirian continued holding the ball of light between her hands as Zelda let go, and she moved and closed her fists around it slowly, pulling it in a bit closer before opening her palms to see it there for a moment before it dispersed into little sparkles of light everywhere just as Zelda had told her it would.

"That's amazing," Mirian whispered in awe, looking back over at Zelda. "I didn't think just anyone could do it."

"Only if you have the true desire to do it," Zelda told her, "then you can. Otherwise it will be completely dead in you because magic exists on one rule; your belief in it being able to work for you, and your need to use it, how, why, and when is the right time to do so."

Mirian took the words to heart, asking not longer after, "Is summoning like that? Do I focus on what I want to summon?"

Zelda pursed her lips in thought over her answer. "In part. You also have to know what is you're summoning completely, as in," she waved a hand for the proper words, "you have to know it as a piece of yourself, otherwise what you're summoning just doesn't exist. It has to be there. Words really don't do it justice, and I'm speaking of a level of magic that's years beyond what I just showed you."

"I understand," Mirian replied. "I don't expect to go and summon Drakes left and right by tomorrow," she chuckled out softly. "But I'll continue practicing what you just showed me. Maybe it will eventually come in handy for something besides just summoning a Drake, who knows?"

Zelda smiled and nodded her head in agreement, "It could very well come in more handy than you've even thought of for now." That was when she heard someone outside of the tent, as well as saw a light saying that whomever it was outside of their tent was carrying a lantern, and the light stopped moving outside of the door before they heard someone asking, "Princess? Mirian? Are you two awake?"

It was Aggie. Mirian replied, "Yes, we're up."

"I thought so when I saw the lights. I wanted to let you both know that Link and Risek haven't yet returned. But I'll be by the moment they arrive to let you know."

"Thank you, Aggie," Mirian replied, "we probably won't be going back to sleep, so feel free to come by. Is Gabriel alright?"

"He's fine, asleep in my tent. Should I tell you when he wakes up?"

"Yes, please," Mirian requested, and Aggie promised he would before leaving the ladies alone again. Once he'd left, Mirian looked at Zelda and asked, "Should we go out and stretch our legs? Maybe try to scrounge up some breakfast for everyone? Well, I mean, I should do that, not you."

"It's fine, Mirian," Zelda told her, knowing Mirian was still treating her like royalty instead of just another citizen. "I wouldn't mind helping. It would get my mind off of my worries over Link. The last time we were separated like this, he didn't come back in good condition."

"It doesn't sound good," Mirian replied, not wanting to ask exactly what had happened because they were both worried already, so relations of an unpleasant story might make it worse. "But I'm sure they're fine. The Shrine's a good ways off. They probably won't even be back until a few hours after the sun rises because they have to be careful going there on top of the distance."

"That's a good point," Zelda nodded in reply. "So, should we go and," Zelda stopped when she heard thunder. "Well, I mean if it doesn't rain, should we go and see what we can help to make for everyone to eat?"

"Yes," Mirian agreed, and she went to the flap of the tent and pushed it open, stepping outside and holding it for Zelda, who thanked the maid on the way out. Letting the flap fall back into place, Zelda and Mirian noticed there was already a scent of food wafting about the encampment. A fire was going under a hut that had been built out of wood and rope with a thatched roof overhead, a hole in the top to let the smoke rise up and into the sky. People were using it to cook, and someone had been hunting as well, now skinning a deer not too far away from the fire.

Maybe they wouldn't be needed at all because there were a good number of people working on the morning meal as it was, but they figured they could go and find out anyway, even with the threat of rain incoming if the thunder and the clouds in the sky were any indication.

As they began to walk over, the sound of arrows cutting through the sky suddenly caught the lady's attentions, and the looked up at the watchtowers to see one of the archer's, a man named Oron, giving a signal that he could see something off in the distance through his looking glass. At first, Mirian and Zelda thought that perhaps Link and Risek were returning, but the signals the man was giving caused the people under the hut to start stamping out the fire.

Zelda looked over with narrowed brows to watch them for a moment before Mirian suddenly gasped and grabbed Zelda's hand. "Zelda, Drakes are coming."

"Drakes? More than one?"

Mirian started nodding her head in response to Zelda's question, "I can hear their wings flapping in the distance, more than what I could hear last time."

The thunder or perhaps the wind had blocked the sound of the Drakes coming from her ears, and almost as soon as she'd said those words, Aggie came up behind them and said, "Drakes are coming. Three according to Oron on the watchtower, and one with a rider that he's seen so far. Princess, you said if such a thing occurred that you could shield us all with some kind of shadow magic."

Zelda had made the suggestion earlier in the day while planning defenses that she could shield the entire encampment from sight with Shadow Magic. Impa's magic would come in handy in such a situation, and Zelda was more than up for the challenge considering the number of lives at stake. Without hesitating, she nodded her head, saying to Aggie, "Tell everyone to go to their tents and huts and stay in them. The Drakes will be able to see everything, but they won't be able to see, smell, or hear any of us as long as we're within the dome I'm going to create."

"Yes ma'am," Aggie nodded, then started to do just that, running off and calling to everyone to get to their homes as Zelda hurried toward the center of the encampment. Mirian turned and went in behind her, hoping that this shadow magic would hide the entire camp well enough from the Drakes, and that they would all be overlooked.

Zelda came to a stop and looked around, thinking the spot in which she stood was perfect. In the distance, she heard a shriek of sound, and she wasted no time, focusing on her abilities the same as she's taught Mirian how to do earlier, standing there and clasping her hands together. Slowly, she began to draw her palms apart as a whirring of energy sounded, and between them was an orb of blackness, the sound roiling out softly with energy as it grew bigger between her parting palms. She stopped when it was about the size of her torso, and from that orb, smaller wisps of energy began to spiral out and around her, growing in number and speed as they went until those smaller wisps were spiraling up into the air.

Many people had stopped to watch the spectacle, wondering if they were just seeing things, or if was actually beginning to grow darker, and as they all watched, a sudden burst of darkness consumed the entire camp, spreading out over it like a dome of dark protection. It made the sky look even more black than it actually was while rain started pattering down onto the area, and once the spell was completed, Zelda let her hands fall to her sides, and she turned to look back when in the distance, a louder roar was heard.

The shadows would hide them from their enemies now however. Surely enough, when Zelda glanced in that direction, about thirty feet beyond the bounds of the encampment and the dome of shadow she'd just erected, two Drakes landed, one with a Knight on his back, and the third flew completely over the area, apparently going in to circle around the sky.

The reptilian Drake's who'd landed let out loud hisses, the one carrying his master starting to move toward the camp, snarling as it went, sniffing his snout about what appeared to be the empty area to it. It couldn't see Zelda or Mirian, or anyone else like that, nor could it smell or hear them as they were all veiled with the Princess's magic now.

Mirian suddenly had a thought however, and asked, "What if it touches one of us?"

"We'll be revealed. That's why I wanted everyone to stay in their tents. They'll be out of contact inside the homes."

"What about Link and Risek?," Mirian then asked when she'd had the thought.

Zelda replied, "Link will know what's going on and inform the Prince. They'll be fine."

No one was out, everyone hiding as Zelda had said to do. Only the man on the watchtower named Oron was still outside of his tent, and one of the Drakes passed that tower and lifted its head to the platform on which Oron stood, sniffing and scaring the archer, but he couldn't detect anything. Oron let a sigh of relief when the Drake turned away from him and went about searching.

The Drake carrying the White Knight had gotten closer to the center of the camp, where Zelda and Mirian moved out of the way before it could accidentally bump into them. They both came to a stop out of reach while the Drake hissed as it inspected everything a bit more closely, the empty huts and tents settled around it looking empty and lifeless to the large reptiles now fooled eyes. The Knight on his back lifted his head as the pattering rain bounced off of his white and silver armor whenever it landed on it, and then looked back, almost as if he was certain this couldn't be what he was seeing.

He called to the second Drake with him and waved a hand, commanding it to search outside of the area while he remained where he was to look at everything more closely.

Mirian watched the Dragonmaster commanding his Drake, watched the Drake leaving, and she wished she could summon a Drake of her own to protect these people now, but at the same time, she was very thankful for Zelda's magic. She just hoped it would keep them all secluded, and prevent anyone from being found. She definitely wasn't going to complain in the meantime, but she did worry that Link and Risek might arrive and be spotted before they could enter the dome of magic that Zelda had created to protect everyone.

Just then, Mirian looked over to see Aggie rushing toward her, and as he stopped, he took a breath and said, "Gabriel's not in my tent. He was there _just_ before I went to see the two of you shortly ago though, but I haven't been able to find him. On top of this, my bow is missing. Last night, he was asking me about hunting, so I think that's what he's gone to do."

"Oh no," Mirian gasped, staring at Aggie. "If he's out in the forests, he's not protected by the magic."

"I know," Aggie nodded. "I can go fetch him, but I wanted to let the both of you know before I took off."

Zelda shook her head at Aggie, saying, "No, you stay here, I'll go get him."

Aggie's brows narrowed at Zelda, and he started shaking his head, but before he could protest, Zelda said, "Don't worry about me, I can shadow myself out without trouble. You can't. I'll get him and teleport us both back here before he's potentially found. You should be watching for Link and Risek to return, just incase, because they could be spotted coming in."

Aggie let out a sigh of breath, but he knew he didn't have time to waste, not to mention he didn't have any other better ideas. Stuck without a choice, and not even able to respond anyway, Zelda moved off swiftly, and that was when Aggie grumbled out, "I should've listened to Link about her."

Mirian frowned, "I should've gone with her."

"No!," Aggie shook his head. "If I let you _both_ go after Gabriel, I'll probably be executed." With a sigh, he said, "We'll just have to make sure Link and Risek don't run back here and get attacked automatically, and hope that Zelda can get Gabriel back in the meantime. She covered us, so she should be fine."

He hoped.


	56. Intrusion

_Chapter 57 - Intrusion_

The forests were fairly quiet save the branches of the trees swaying a bit and the leaves rustling on their limbs in the breeze overhead as Gabriel ventured beneath them, carrying Aggie's hunting bow with him. The air smelled of rain which was apparently coming, the thunder sounding a storm's arrival, but Gabriel didn't mind it. He'd brought his cloak along, had the hood over his head of dark hair, so if it started raining, it would offer him a little cover.

The previous night, the young royal had been asking Aggie questions about why there was so little for the people in the encampment to eat, and Aggie's explanation had been simple. As he put it, this was because the people here were hiding from the Kingdom in the current state it was in, and they couldn't benefit from the trade routes and the caravans carrying goods, so supplies were limited. They had to hunt and gather on their own if they wanted to have more food to eat and supplies to use, so there wasn't always quite enough to go around.

So Gabriel had asked Aggie if they needed more hunters, because he'd been hunting several times with his father before. Aggie had told him that they might just be able to use more hunters, but that Gabriel didn't need to worry about it because even with more hunters, it didn't always mean there would be more quarry to hunt. While Gabriel understood that, when Aggie left the next morning, he'd gotten up not too long later and grabbed Aggie's bow, deciding that he would prove himself and collect more food because the people needed it, and as a Prince, it was his job to provide for them.

Gabriel did exactly as his father had taught him to, stayed quiet as he moved through the forests, followed tracks, and hunted for a short while to see what he could find. As it started raining, Gabriel just pushed on, thankful for the hood of his cloak, but he was afraid it might ruin the set of tracks he'd found. Finally, coming down a slight incline of grass between several trees, he noticed those tracks led into a shallow stream of water anyway, and he frowned. He wouldn't be able to follow it through the stream.

That was when he looked up, and somewhat unexpectedly, his blue eyes made contact with a rather large buck on the other side of the same stream he'd been taking note of. The horns on the animal were tall and branched out a good bit, saying he was an older buck, and he was honestly a sight to behold.

The buck didn't know the young Prince was there, and Gabriel couldn't help but feel pride over that fact, having snuck up on the animal so thoroughly. Seriun would have been proud, he had to consider, and one day, when his father woke up, he would tell him all about how he'd tracked a buck down and been able to provide for the people who'd been forced out of their homes because of Arrik's treachery. Risek's instruction with a bow would come in handy now, and less people would be hungry, or even cold because the skin could make a good blanket.

With the thought in mind, Gabriel crouched into some high standing grass quietly and lifted Aggie's bow, pulling an arrow out of the quiver on his back and notching it.

The buck lifted it's head from grazing quietly as he drew his shooting string back. The string tightened in his careful fingers, and he kept his aim focused on the buck just as he'd been taught to do. Just as he was about to shoot, he felt a slight rumbling in the distance which he'd thought was thunder judging by what his own pointed ears told him, but the buck suddenly flinched and looked in his direction. It wasn't thunder. Something had spooked the animal because it turned swiftly and without warning, taking off as Gabriel got the sense that the _something_ was now behind him.

That same rumbling sounded again, but this time the young Prince felt the ground shaking along with it as he turned and looked back quickly. Up the hill and on the other side of the trees Gabriel had passed earlier while hunting the buck down, he saw a large, reptilian Drake with white skin and blue eyes, wings webbed with blue, and a long, spiked tail behind it. The animal was lifting its head as it sniffed around, inspecting the area, blue eyes scanning.

Gabriel didn't know what to think. He'd heard Mirian and Aggie discussing Drakes the day before, but he thought they'd said Mirian had chased the Drake away because she was a Dragonmaster. Apparently, it had come back now. Gabriel had no idea why or what it wanted either, but he knew it wasn't good, and he kept himself steady where he was.

Currently, he was out of sight in the high green grass he was standing in, but that didn't seem to be a complete help because the Drake was sniffing at the ground as if picking up his scent. Gabriel waited though, wanting it to turn its head before he took off running, but it soon came in closer, while Gabriel tensed. It only took the animal a moment before those blue reptilian eyes it had turned down right to him.

The Drake suddenly let a loud screeching wail that reverberated through the trees and the valleys, scaring away flocks of birds from their branches, and Gabriel reacted quickly. With the arrow he'd already notched, he lifted his bow and pulled back on the shooting string, firing at the Drake without even aiming because the animal was pretty large, so his arrow was bound to hot _something_. He then turned to run away, uncaring over whatever damage he might done. As long as it bought himself some time, _that_ was what Gabriel cared about.

But his arrow flew right into the side of the Drake's face, and the beast let a growled hiss of pain out, reaching for the wooden arrow to jerk it from his cheek. His wails and hisses were heard back in the camp, where the White Knight occupying the now shadowed out area turned his head from his inspection and then took the reigns of his mount. The wings of his Drake spread suddenly while Mirian and Aggie watched, and the White Knight started to fly away to see what his pet had found.

"I hope that wasn't about Gabriel or Zelda," Mirian whispered softly, holding Aggie's hand tightly. Then she got distracted when Oron suddenly shot an arrow down to get their attention.

The movement made Aggie turn before grumbling out, "Now what?" Looking at Mirian, he said, "Stay here, I'll see what it is."

Mirian nodded and let Aggie go, feeling completely helpless in that moment. She hoped more Knights weren't coming, and if they were, she hoped and prayed they wouldn't find Gabriel or Zelda who were still out there.

In the woods, Gabriel kept running as he felt the ground thudding behind himself, knowing he was being followed pretty quickly. He was looking for a means of escape, hand still clutching Aggie's bow tightly while he ducked under some low laying branches that the Drake following him just busted through in pursuit a few moments afterwards, sending splinters of wood flying through the air. Gabriel knew the somewhat dense forest was the only reason the Drake hadn't already caught up to him, so he was trying to stick as closely to the trees as possible while he ran.

Gabriel pushed on, trying his best not to look back because he felt that would be very bad. But something bad appeared ahead of him as well in that moment - a tall rock wall blocking his path. Gabriel came to a stop at the base and put his bow over his arm before sticking his hands up, searching for a way to maybe climb the wall, but he had no ledges within reach to purchase, even as he tried to jump for them. The moment he realized this was the moment when the rumbling behind him stopped. The Prince stood back up from a jump and then spun around quickly, breathing heavily as he came almost face to face with the Drake standing a good seven feet away from him.

Gabriel stared at the creature, which was letting a low growl down at him, blood trailing over it's left cheek not too far beneath it's eye where the thirteen year old had hit it with an arrow earlier, and the sight told Gabriel he could do it again now. So he narrowed his brows and tugged out another arrow quickly along with the bow, then notched it. The Drake started heading toward him just as he had it in hand, and Gabriel released the shooting string to send a second arrow sailing right at the advancing Drake.

As the animal tried to reach for him, it's mouth opening with a shriek, the arrow sailed right in, and stabbed itself so deep into the back of the Drake's throat that the silver tip emerged from the other side of it's neck behind it's head with an eruption of blood. The reaction was for the animal to jolt back in pain, giving Gabriel enough time to slip his smaller form beneath the beast's body quickly while it struggled with the arrow stabbing into the back of it's throat.

As Gabriel slipped beneath it swiftly, he was more than grateful in that moment that Risek had taught him how to use a bow and arrow properly. Apparently it was more handy than just winning archery contests at his school. Emerging from beneath the Drake and on the other side of it, he pushed those thoughts from his mind and took off through the rain and trees as fast as his legs could carry him.

Making his way up and incline, Gabriel came into a clearing of trees, the sky now a light grey with the early morning light that was rising behind the clouds and rain, completely soaked and urgently making his way through the clearing. As he got about halfway however, another Drake landed right in front of him swiftly, jarring the Prince so hard with it's sudden landing that he fell onto his back with a loud, fearful yell, dropping his bow in the process.

The White Knight on the animal's back turned his masked and helmeted face down to the young royal who'd looked up and started backing away on his hands and feet, slipping across the ground. "Take young Gabriel," he told his pet automatically, and the Drake went to reach out for the boy.

Gabriel yelled again when he was almost grabbed, putting an arm up instinctively to try to protect himself, but when nothing happened, he lowered it and peered back over. As he did so, he saw that the white Drake had frozen in place with a large clawed hand hovering just above him, it's skin glowing a blue color with magic now.

Zelda stood about teen feet behind the creature, her hands folded together and holding onto the Drake with binding magic to keep it from grabbing for Gabriel and probably taking him back to the Palace of Althor and to Arrik. Her blue eyes opened and she focused on holding the beast in place for as long as she could, gritting her teeth with the effort before she called, "Gabriel! Come here!"

Hearing Zelda's voice, Gabriel worked his way up quickly, grabbing Aggie's bow, and began heading toward the Princess as the White Knight watched him, looking back and over at the Hylian royal who'd stopped him in his tracks.

"Your power is impressive, Princess Zelda, but it won't help you," he sneered out, his tone reverberating with his power, and Zelda could feel her own power breaking. The spell she'd just cast wasn't a weak one, but with as strong as the Knight was, he'd be able to break through it sooner rather than later. Still, she'd had to stop it before it could grab Gabriel, and with that amount of energy used, she'd really depleted any chance of long distance teleportation or masking herself with shadows again. But she wasn't out of the game by a long shot, she was just going to have to be cunning with her magic in order to get them both out of there.

So with that thought in mind, as Gabriel reached her, she took his hand and turned around to start running, letting the rest of her spell run its course on its own.

Zelda moved through the trees as swiftly as she could, mud already staining the hem of her blue walking dress, moving away from the bound Drake in the pouring rain with Gabriel right behind her. They both soon heard the thudding claws of the animal as it screeched and broke free of her spell, following after them now more than likely. She just hoped her new plan would work and that she'd gotten far enough away from it to get a head start.

The Drake moved through the forests after them and eventually slowed down, sniffing at the ground to capture Zelda's scent again. The White Knight knew that Zelda was somewhere near by, and as he passed a tree, unknowingly Zelda opened her eyes about five feet away and watched, the rest of her body camouflaged magically into the bark of a tree against which she was leaning and hiding. Gabriel was in the tree above her and safe for the moment, watching everything in silence.

As Zelda opened her eyes, her body began fading into view from the illusion she'd cast in order to hide herself and let the animal pass so that she could launch a sneak attack.

With that in mind, suddenly, a burst of fire erupted against the White Knight's back, making him let a yell of pain in response to the magic Zelda had just used against him. Looking back, he saw Zelda just before she disappeared in a flickering of light, and he growled angrily. This Princess was starting to become a bother. Gabriel watched her disappearing and took the whole scene in with a bit of boyish excitement, still well hidden in the branches and leaves high above the area where Zelda had helped him to hide using a slight bit of magic to teleport him up there.

Zelda reappeared next to the Drake without warning on the side where neither of them were looking and she reached up her hands to press them into the beast's side. The result was a surging burst of electrical energy through both it's body and into his rider, one that made the Drake shriek loudly.

This lasted for a few moments before it dispersed, and the Knight tried to retaliate, but Zelda disappeared again. The Knight growled and looked around quietly following that movement, focusing to see where she might appear next, but instead of seeing her, a chill began to wash over him and his mount through the air around them. As this happened, the rain started forming into ice as it fell through that cold, pelting down over them both and rending the Drake's skin with sharp edges. The Knight was protected from this attack, but the Drake became much harder to control for his master.

While he tried to hold onto his mount and steady it, he noticed the Princess standing ahead of them both on an incline just outside of the grove about ten feet away. Zelda focused her energy in the same way that she'd taught Mirian early, and brought her hands up and together. As she did this, the rain stopped pelting her enemies, and formed into a large shard of ice overhead of them, growing larger and large, until it began falling from the sky overhead with a sharp point to impale whatever it hit.

The Drake was still too stirred up from the ice rain to be of much use to his rider, but that didn't seem to matter. As the ice shard Zelda had formed headed down from the sky and toward the Knight, he lifted a hand and swung it. When this happened, some invisible force seemed to hit against the shard to knock it away, and just following that, a large, spiked hammer formed into the Knight's hand, apparently his particular melee weapon.

The shard flew directly at Zelda, who gasped and ducked out of the way as quickly as possible. Sadly, she was already on an incline, and the movement sent her tumbling down the hill and much closer to her enemy. She stopped rolling close enough to him in fact that, as she worked her way up, a sudden lash of the Drake's tail after the creature had turned knocked her forwards before she could get to her feet completely.

Zelda felt the sting as it snapped at her and hit her hard enough to send her a good number of feet through the air, only coming to a stop because her body pounded into the side of a tree just before she toppled over and onto the ground, rolling onto her side limply. Pain streaked through her in that instance, and she reached up a hand to press into the wet grass to try to get back up, but it hurt so much she wasn't sure if she'd even moved an inch or not.

Zelda could hear the Knight chuckling and the thudding feet of his mount as he approached her while she lay there helplessly, commending his Drake by saying, "That's a good pet. Now, collect her, and we'll see if we can find Gabriel again. He can't be too far away."

Zelda looked up as the Drake got closer and lifted it's hand, reaching down to snag her up from the ground, and she knew she wasn't going to escape this with magic - not this time. Her body hurt too much to focus on it currently, but before she could even try to think of a contingency plan, a sudden gush of blood erupted from the Drake's palm before it could reach her. Zelda wasn't sure what had happened at first until a human form started shimmering into view before her eyes.

It was Link, standing there with the Master Sword stabbed deep into the Drake's hand, getting the creature to back off of his fiancee with a shriek of pain while Link told him on a stern tone of voice, "If you want to return to the Palace, you can take _me_ there to meet Arrik personally instead!"

As the Drake drew back in the pain Link had dispensed to it, Risek had come running in behind it with Mirian and Aggie following not too far behind him. Link and Risek had returned to the camp to find everyone buzzing about Drake's around, and they went after Zelda and Gabriel as soon as they'd been informed of what was going on. Link used the Ghost Stone that Ovana had given him to sneak up on the Drake when they finally found it, and he'd gotten there just in time to see Zelda being attacked.

Zelda was extremely glad to see them all in that moment. Risek ran toward the fray with Aggie, and Mirian stopped a good distance away and watched them both begin distracting the Drake and his rider with attacks while Link turned to Zelda. Reaching down, he lifted her up as gently as he could and carried her over to where Mirian stood.

Once he'd settled Zelda in the grass with Mirian, who'd leaned down to help her sit up, he pressed his hand against her cheek and looked her over, asking worriedly, "Are you alright?"

Zelda nodded at him, "I'll be fine, Link. Go help them get rid of that Knight."

Mirian added quickly for Link's benefit, "Go on, I'll make sure she's alright."

Link didn't waste time and nodded at them both, then stood back up and turned around with a good bit of anger in his eyes. He flipped his sword up in his hand and started running toward their enemy through the rain to gain speed before he leapt into the air, bringing the Master Sword down in a hard jab to stab it into the Drake's back with a loud cry of battle while Risek and Aggie were busy keeping it occupied from the front. Link managed to pierce it right in the back behind the Knight, and the Drake thrashed its tail, almost hitting Aggie with it in the process.

After the Captain had rolled to avoid the blow, Risek told him, "Go keep Zelda and Mirian safe. Link and I can deal with this."

Aggie replied, "Yes sir!," and ran to do so while Risek ducked beneath a swiped claw and aimed his left wrist, firing bolts off of his crossbow up and into the side of the Drake's head, using his cutlass to stab into the chest as he got an open shot when the Drake reeled back. Link had to jerk his sword from the Drake and roll beneath the tail again in that instance before he was lashed with it, and he glanced up in time to hear a loud whir of energy sounding.

Just as he and Risek both looked, the White Knight suddenly disappeared from the Drake's back altogether, apparently knowing he was out numbered in that moment and leaving the weakened animal behind for them to finish off.

"Coward!," Link sneered. Link couldn't think of anything that got his blood to really boil more than someone who couldn't finish a fight they'd started, but he'd just have to get rid of this Drake for now and worry with that later. With the animal as weakened as it was, he ran in and leapt up and onto it's back, moving across the spine swiftly as Risek headed into the front at the same time. As the Master Sword cleaved its way through the back of the animal's throat, Risek's cutlass cleaved through the front, effectively cutting the creature's head completely off of it's body.

The Drake stumbled to the side, it's head flying through the air to land several feet away, and Link jumped off of it before he could be thrown at all, rolling across the ground and onto his knees. The body of the Drake started to disperse in flecks of magic after that, and Link stood up to watch along with Risek, then took in a deep breath once it was gone.

"Who do you think that was?," he asked Risek.

Risek shook his head without any clue, and just then, they both heard a loud shriek coming from the air above them in the grove. Looking up into the sky, they saw the other two Drakes the Knight had brought with him flying off into the distance, carrying the retreating Knight on his back.

It was then that Risek told Link, "I have no idea who it was, but he'll go tell Arrik that we're here, and Arrik will probably send reinforcements."

"If Arrik's like Ganondorf, he'll just kill the Knight for not eliminating us to begin with," Link suggested, then he looked over to see that Zelda had worked her way back to her feet by that time with Mirian's and Aggie's help. Link decided they could talk about the Knight once they'd made sure everyone was in good health, and he went to Zelda's side. Zelda saw him coming, and she reached for him as he pulled her into a hug that was tight, but gentle because of what he'd witnessed happening to her.

Risek watched this, but his brows suddenly narrowed in thought and he asked, "Wait, where's Gabriel?"

"I'm up here!," Gabriel called down to them. Risek looked up, spotting Gabriel poking his head through some leaves about thirty feet off of the ground and up in the tree, so he walked over to the trunk.

"How in the world did you get all the way up there?," he asked.

"Zelda teleported me up to keep me safe," Gabriel replied, using some branches to climb down a bit lower.

As he worked his way down, Risek warned him, "Be careful."

While Risek tried to help his brother, Link stood back from the hug he was in to look at Zelda before he told her, "I'm sorry, Zelda."

"For what?," she asked him earnestly. "Don't apologize for not being here in time."

Link let out a little sigh of breath, then he shook his head, "No, I'm sorry I didn't kill that Knight for you just now. Sorry he got away."

Zelda smiled in a slight bit of amusement, then reminded him, "You'll get another chance. But at least the villagers are safe. I managed to hide them all in shadows."

"The Knight and his Drakes never saw them," Aggie spoke up, still watching Gabriel working his way down.

"I'd noticed they were in Shadow," Link replied, giving a nod of his head. "We all came out here to find you and Gabriel when Aggie and Mirian relayed what was going on." After Link told Zelda that, he looked back because the situation with the royal brothers had gotten his attention.

Gabriel had reached a place where the branches in the tree were just too small to support him, and Risek noticed had called up, "You'll have to jump, Gabriel."

Gabriel gave his brother a funny look before asking loudly, "Are you crazy? That's twenty feet!"

"You don't trust me?"

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "I'm not as small as you think, Risek, I'll hurt you."

"Give me a chance," Risek replied, a little amused now. "You're not scared, are you?"

"No!," Gabriel called down forcefully in response. "I'm not scared!"

"Then jump. I'll catch you, and you won't hurt me."

"I guess I got him stuck," Zelda mused as this went on, seeing Link grin over it.

Link then called out some encouragement to the young Prince by saying, "You can do it, Gabriel, Risek's not as frail as he looks, trust me!"

The way he'd said that made Gabriel laugh and Risek roll his eyes, a bland expression on his usually stoic face. But he didn't reply to Link and only waited for his brother to ready himself to jump down instead.

It was then that Gabriel called down, "Alright, here I come. Ready!"

"Yes," Risek called up, "I'm ready."

Gabriel took a deep breath, and then let a yell as he jumped from the branch he'd been settled on, going flying down to his brother, who managed to catch him but not without falling over backwards, the wind being knocked from his lungs. Only a moment afterwards, Gabriel moved quickly to sit back, looking down at Risek and asking, "Are you alright!"

"I'm fine, Gabriel," Risek replied, grunting as he sat up. "But you were right. You _are_ bigger than I remember."

Gabriel stared up at him, and then he grinned and playfully punched his brother's upper arm before giving him a hug. Risek smiled and returned it, and they both got up only a few moments later and walked over to where the others now stood.

Once they were both on their feet again, Gabriel asked, "Was that Lukas?"

"It could have been," Risek replied, "but I don't know for certain."

"Whoever it was," Link pointed out, "when he gets to the Palace, he'll probably report this place as being empty except for us."

"So he could send someone back," Aggie suggested.

"Yes, and if they come back looking for us," Risek mused, "they could find the settlement and destroy it, kill everyone they come across, labeling them traitors and heretics."

Link rolled his eyes over the likely suggestion while Zelda was deep in thought as everyone talked this over. The rains were coming to a stop, and when Link realized how quiet his fiancee was being, he looked over at her with the knowledge that she was cooking something up. Link just waited patiently to see what she'd say while Aggie started making suggestions in the meantime.

"If we leave a scent trail for them to follow away from the camp, they might leave the villagers alone."

"Or they might go the wrong direction and be led right to them," Risek pointed out.

"What about the Gerudo," Gabriel asked. "Can they help?"

"Nabooru might be able to," Zelda finally spoke up. "She's still in camp with the others the last I knew of, but I didn't see her before this all happened. They might've gone out for an early morning scout, though."

"They're back," Mirian told her. "Nabooru came back not too long after you'd left."

With a nod, Zelda thought for a brief moment, then looked at Link and Risek, asking, "What news did you get from the Shrine?"

Link answered, saying, "It's a long story, but essentially we've got to leave for the Endigan Mountains. So we're not staying either way."

"Alright," Zelda gave a nod of her head. "Then Nabooru should continue to help with the people here, get them relocated with Aggie. Or she can probably hide the camp with her own power just as easily as I could."

Nabooru was the Sage of Spirit in Hyrule, and while her power was definitely greater in her homeland rather than in Althor, she would still be able to draw upon it to help those in need as she had the night they found out that Arrik was the commander of the White Knights.

As they all considered this, Gabriel looked up at his brother and asked him, "You're not going to let me go with you when you leave, are you?"

The answer to that was a definite no, but Risek didn't want to talk about it there. Shaking his head, he said, "Let's get back to camp first. We can discuss it all there. That Knight may change his mind about going back to Arrik empty handed."

"Good point," Link grumbled out, turning to go, but not before he lifted Zelda up. When she looked as if she were about to argue, he gave her the one stubborn look he had that he knew she'd listen to and she pursed her lips at him over it. Sighing softly, she smiled just a bit, then leaned up and kissed his cheek. Zelda wouldn't admit it to him, but she was actually happy to not have to walk in that moment. As it were, she felt like she was going to be sore for days to come, or at least until she recovered enough to rejuvenate herself.

—

The Drake flew through the air swiftly and majestically, heading toward the dome of magic surrounding the Palace of Althor in the dim grey sky. The people watched from below while making their way down the streets, the occurrences of seeing the Drakes in Castle Town having become commonplace in the past few days, and while they were uneasy with all that had passed, they were also trusting in their leader's reassurances that everything was fine.

Arrik had given the speech himself, letting everyone know that there had been absolutely nothing wrong. He assured them of the King's wellness, though he was still slumbering, and introduced them to Althor's new protectors - his own White Knights. Though, Arrik left off the fact that he was their commander.

The Knight that had done battle with Zelda, Link, and Risek in the grove earlier drew in closer to the Palace, and Charlain could see it from the windows of her father's chamber. She looked away and back over his sleeping face for a moment when she'd spotted the returning Knight, having just administered another dose of the Dreamwart potion which she settled back into a drawer next to the bed, and turned to go to the door and greet the Knight returning now that she was done. As she reached the door, her father flinched in his sleep, and she heard him asking, "Risek?," on a voice that was barely audible. "Risek...where...are you?"

Charlain sneered in her jealousy of her father's favor for her older brother, and then shut the door on him, heading down the hallway and to the stairs, which she took up to the top floor of the Palace.

There was a balcony outside several arched doorways lining the wall and held up by tall marble columns across the way from Charlain as she emerged from the stairwell and headed over, her shoes settling on the balcony in a stop just as the Knight she'd come to greet flew down, his Drake flapping it's wings a few times before settling on the floor with a loud hiss of air.

She saw the blood on the face of the animal, and her brows narrowed, the Knight climbing down, his armor dispersing from his body as he went, revealing the face of Lukas as it faded away in flickers of light. He looked a little worn, the attacks Zelda had put him through being the culprit of that, but he was no worse for the wear honestly.

"Welcome back," Charlain said as he started headed toward her, asking in addition, "what happened to your mount?"

"Gabriel apparently hit it with some arrows. He'll be fine."

Charlain noticed the Drake was just that because it turned around once it's master had left to take back to the skies and hunt again, acting completely normal. But Lukas's explanation got Charlain's attention more than the Drake's condition did, and she turned to go after him as swiftly as possible. "Gabriel? You found them?"

Lukas nodded his head, smoothing some of his blonde hair back as he went so he could retie the ponytail at the nape of his neck. "Yes, in Thicket Moore. Where's Father? I need to tell him."

Walking down the steps with Lukas, Charlain gave the reply, "In the study the last I saw before I had to go give my own father another dose of the potion."

Lukas became silent after that, only nodding his head in response, which told Charlain that he wasn't going to tell his story twice, so she just accompanied him to the study to hear it as he told Arrik.

They got to the King's Study, and the guards standing outside of it opened the doors for Lukas. Once they had, and Arrik heard the door opening, he looked up to see his son entering and gave him a smile, asking, "Back so soon? You must have found something."

Lukas walked in and the doors shut behind him and his wife, and he glanced about at the three other men in the room with them, all Knights of their group, giving a nod of his head in silent greeting as they bowed their own to him. Lukas was the first in command after his father after all, so the formality was expected.

Lukas then looked back at his father and said, "Yes, I found them all in Thicket Moore. Risek, Gabriel, Anamirian, Link, Zelda, and even Aggie. There was no sign of the outcasts, however. It appears that Risek and Gabriel had been using the old encampment in the forest to shelter themselves, though whether they were simply moving through or staying there is another story. The Drakes will have to do more tracking of the area to be sure."

Arrik, who was looking over an old book, nodded his head and then looked up, removing the monocle from his eye for the time being. "I see. No renegades save our missing Risek and his brother, as well as the Hylians." When Lukas nodded his head, Arrik closed his book and went to stand up, tugging his silver tunic down to straighten it out as he walked around the desk and leaned against it, folding his arms over his chest in thought.

As he did this, Lukas asked, "Who is traveling back with me to collect them?"

Arrik gave him a look and then shook his head, "Before I answer that, did you engage them?"

"Yes," Lukas nodded.

"Then they'll be moving on, knowing someone would come back for them, so for now we won't waste our time. The Drakes will have an easy enough time tracking them down later themselves. For now, I have other things we all need to discuss. That's why they're here." Arrik motioned to the other Knights with them, and Lukas gave a nod of his head in understanding.

Lukas hadn't been commanded to go out to retrieve Zelda or Gabriel or anyone else for that matter. He'd been sent out to do reconnaissance and try to locate the villagers who'd been labeled as renegades. So Arrik wasn't completely concerned. He knew the area that Risek had taken shelter in now, and for now, that was all he needed to know.

Lukas turned to have a seat once this had been said, and when he did, he asked, "What are we discussing?"

"First of all," Arrik started, "Alarun has been killed. I sensed his departure sometime last night, and though I'm uncertain how he might have passed, it should be obvious who the culprits are."

"But Alarun was sent to the Shrine of Farore to make sure they were in accordance with the Crown," Lukas replied uncertainly. "If it were Risek, that's half a day's travel from Thicket Moore."

"I said sometime last night," Arrik mentioned again. "If you saw Risek there not too long ago, then the time is right for him to have been passing through. But this means that Risek or someone affiliated with him, maybe all of them, went to the Shrine for guidance last night and engaged Alarun. While his loss will be felt until we can replace him, I think that for now, someone should go to the Shrine and question the Lady Vicar about it. See what she might have told him."

"I can do that," said a big man leaning against the wall on the left side of the room. He had a pipe in his mouth and a completely bald head, but he sported a long black beard that was tied into two braids. His name was Gorric, and he was the biggest that the White Knights had to offer. Closing in on seven feet tall, he'd been in Althor when Arrik had gone to Hyrule, so he'd never met Link or Risek there, or even since they'd been back because he'd been in Port Sun the entire time keeping an eye out on things and reporting to Arrik.

But he knew Risek fairly well as he was a former Captain in Althor's naval fleet with promise of becoming an Admiral one day, and had been Risek's superior on The Siren for a short time before being transferred to another vessel. He'd been recruited to the White Knight's by Gerild, and ever since, he'd taken a leave of sailing and devoted himself solely to them.

Arrik nodded to his suggestion, "Alright. Just do so gently. For now, I don't want entanglement with any of the Shrines, not so soon when the people are still so wary if their new guards. You should be able to use divine influence to discern if the Lady Vicar is lying to you if she proves to be difficult. But if Link and Risek have gone there already, you can also expect a cold welcome."

"I'll keep it in mind," Gorric pointed out casually, sticking his pipe back into his mouth. Once he had it clenched between his teeth, he added, "You don't need to worry, milord. I think I can come up with a way to keep the Lady Vicar from suspecting too much. I've known Ovana for a long time now and she trusts me."

"Good," Arrik replied with a little smile, thinking he knew what Gorric meant. "That's clever, and everyone needs to take a lesson." Standing up straight, Arrik turned to head back behind the desk again, and he said, "There's another issue that we need to talk about. I'd rather wait for all of the Knights, but the sooner you all know about this, the better."

"What's that?," one of the other men settled in the room asked. He was one of Arrik's diplomats like Alarun, and had been with him in Hyrule on their last visit.

"The chambermaid, Anamirian, is _not_ to be harmed," Arrik said, looking over each and every one of them except for his son. "Do you understand this?"

They started nodding their heads. When this happened, Arrik said, "Good. Attacking her would mean your powers as a Knight are revoked. The ancient laws passed down by the Dragons are very clear on this point. One Master may never harm another, as the Goddesses would never do to each other. If you harm her, there's nothing I can do to restore you."

Lukas narrowed his brows, and then sat forward and suggested, "Say she figures out her own powers. She has the dragon scale, and could summon a Drake. If our Drake's attacked hers, would that be the same thing?"

"No, Lukas," Arrik explained. "First of all, I doubt she'll figure that out too quickly, but secondly, this rule doesn't apply to you anyway, my son."

"Why not?," Lukas asked.

"Well, you're born a Dragonmaster, descendant of my line and of the first Dragonmaster, therefore it cannot be taken from you. But Gorric here, for instance, was granted power by me for his devotion to the Goddesses in order to take up the cause but he is _not_ born of that line, and is expected to respect those born of the lineage. If he attacks another Master, I could no longer allow him, even if I'd wanted to, to be in our ranks. As for the Drakes, it depends on who gave the command for the Drake to harm her."

They all nodded in understanding. So Arrik continued on, "But I don't want anyone harming her to begin with. She may be useful to us in handling other affairs. Besides, being another Dragonmaster, she should be educated in the ways properly. We were just like she is now at one time, born ignorant of our paths. It's only fitting to give her the actual chance to realize what she is exactly."

Everyone seemed to understand him as they didn't ask any questions. Once he was done speaking about it, Arrik turned and reached down beneath his desk for something. From where he'd reached, he pulled up a long sword in its sheath, which was etched with intricate patterns, the hilt a deep red color, and he said, "This is the last thing to speak of. Lukas, take this. I want you to see to it that Risek gets reacquainted with this sword."

Lukas reached up and took the sheathed blade, looking it over. It was a very nicely crafted sheath, and he pulled the blade out to see that it was just as well made, looking it over quietly for a moment. "Why is this blade familiar to me?"

Arrik lifted a brow, "It's been several months now since you've seen it."

Lukas narrowed his brows, giving his father a confused look when suddenly recognition dawned on his face and he shoved the blade back into the sheath with a soft chuckle. "I see. Do you think it might put Risek off of his game to see it?"

"It doesn't matter," Arrik shook his head. "I simply think it should be a fitting reminder to the Prince now that he knows more of what's happened. Risek, sadly, has become a lost cause, and I fear for Gabriel being influenced by him as he's being right now. Charlain, you'll have your little brother back soon enough, I promise you. As for Risek though, I can no longer guarantee his completely safe return. Though I do want him alive."

Charlain shook her head, "That doesn't concern me, my Lord. He chose his path, it was the wrong one, and now he refuses to correct it. Gabriel's the one I'm worried for."

"Very well," Arrik nodded. "As for Zelda and her own so called Knight, they'll find the same fate as Risek. The renegades will be brought back here once found and made examples of to the people, the Prince, and the Hylians." Arrik then looked at Gorric and said, "Go to the Shrine now. Bring back word as soon as possible. When you have more information, I'll further all of your orders. For now, you may go."

Gorric gave him a nod respectfully, then began heading to the doors of the study, his tall, large frame exiting without hesitation to carry his directives out. Once he was gone, the other's began to leave as well. Arrik watched them go, including his son and his daughter-in-law. Quietly, he contemplated the both of them. A smile spread across his face. If he were killed, it wouldn't matter. His son would carry on his line with Charlain, and the Dragonmasters would carry on.

All of it was falling into place just as he'd envisioned it.

_**A/N**__: Sorry this chapter took so long to upload, but it was a little tedious for me to do. Anyway, I just wanted to let everyone know there's a discussion forum open now for you all to ask questions or comment or whatever, which I figured might be easier asked or said there in some cases. The link's in my profile since doesn't let you link in stories, so have fun with it everyone, and also, you guys can all find a thank you there from me for your continued support on this fan project :D!_


	57. Almost Perfect

_Chapter 58 - Almost Perfect_

The rain was off and on all that morning for the most part, but it finally broke completely around noon. Everyone was caught up on everything going on now, the villagers had been alerted to be on watch, and Nabooru had offered without qualm to help hide them and protect them, even suggested plans for going to find more still loyal to the true crown.

Renard had also decided he could do some good for them by staying because he felt that going to any towns, even to leave Althor altogether, would be a bad move. After all, he was a Hylian, and any guards he ran into might use that against him, thinking he may be affiliated with Link and Zelda in some way or another. Better to not be questioned at all than to go out and risk it. Besides, as he put it, he wanted to finally go back to Hyrule when he next traveled, see his sister again, and as far as he saw it, he could go with his Nephew and the Princess when things had been properly taken care of in Althor for ease of travel plans.

He was also very helpful when it came to maps. After all, they needed to plan their route, as it would take them a good while to get to the Endigan Mountains from Thicket Moore without some kind of teleportation magic to use - Zelda wasn't powerful enough to take them all that way by herself. Perhaps if she were alone or with Link she could get them a good bit closer, but teleporting four people, the horses, and their things would take a bit more strength than she currently had to make it far enough to consider the use of magic worth it.

Renard came into the tent that they'd all been discussing their plans in after going to fetch what he had from his wagon, entering with several rolled up papers of maps which he had actually mapped out himself - and Risek was impressed by the detail. Part of Renard's practices in traveling included cartography of course, as he wanted his maps to be the best the world had ever seen, and he went to places no one usually tried to in order to get the best information. There were places on the maps that even Risek didn't know about. Once Renard had found the best ones he had, he rolled them out onto a table so they could all look over them and plan.

He also gave them up for the group to take with them. There were two that were extremely helpful, one of the Kingdom in general, which Link took personal possession of since he didn't know the layout as well as Risek did and if they got separated somehow, it would've come in handy, and then a second map which was smaller and laid out some chasms and gorges to the north of White Glade which helped them to chose their path.

The path they'd chosen to take would have them arriving on the slopes of the mountains within two days if the riding went well. They'd planned to travel from Thicket Moore going northwest toward a sacred forest called White Glade which was a very large forest according to Risek. He wanted to take that path however because according to the second map of the chasms, there was a secret passageway that Risek had honestly never heard of. According to Renard however, this passage would shave a day's worth of travel off of their ride, so Risek was all ears, and so was Link.

Renard explained that northwest of White Glade was a series of cliffs that stretched to two hundred feet tall in some places, leaving a carving of ravines and caverns embedded into the ground below it. If they could just fly up to the top of the cliffs, they would be at the southwestern-most point of the mountain range and things would be easier to accomplish from there. The trouble was that they couldn't fly, but in the ravines, there was a passageway through a cavern that wasn't well known which Renard had found in his efforts to make his maps.

It seemed like a nicely strategic means of travel as well because, if Risek was right, no one would suspect them as taking that path, so they'd be overlooked. After all, it would seem, from looking at the map, that taking White Glade would be too out of the way because the northeast end of the forest led to Endigan Lake, which wasn't as big as Hyrule's Lake Hylia, but it was big enough that going around it, or even sailing across it, would take more time than it might possibly be worth. So their plans were all set.

They decided to leave once they'd gotten enough rest, especially after the morning they'd had - Zelda in particular. She was still recovering from being a little banged up by the Drake, and Link was going out of his way to make sure she was comfortable. During his worried and efforts, she remembered her mother saying that whenever she conceived a child, he would lose his mind trying to make sure she was well, and Zelda briefly wondered if it would be anything like this.

Another reason they stayed was due to the potential of the White Knight returning for an attack. If he hadn't come back in the next several hours however, all would probably be well. But Link and Risek didn't have a choice either way it went. They _had_ to go, and trust in the people left behind to make sure all was well.

There was a short discussion after getting their paths straight with Mirian about whether or not she was going to go, but she'd apparently made up her mind. Mirian was going, and she felt as if she had to - for reasons she couldn't explain. But she needed answers, needed to know what was going on and where her path was leading her, so traveling with them had no question attached to it, even though Risek seemed to disagree. He thought that she might be safer in Thicket Moore with Gabriel, and Mirian understood those implications, but she couldn't ignore what was going on inside of her now, which she related to being restless and energetic, and she almost felt like, if she allowed them to leave without her, she wouldn't be able to sit still.

With Mirian's mind made up, Risek went to have a talk with Gabriel about things as well, explaining all of the reasons why he couldn't go with them. Gabriel seemed to understand most of it, but he couldn't help but feel some disappointment. After all, Risek was his brother, so he was worried about him in any event. But knowing their father's life was at stake, he told Risek that he should go and take care of everything, and that he would help to care for the villagers in Thicket Moore while Risek was away.

Link fell asleep with Zelda for a nap at about noon, snuggled next to her warmly. Despite the Spring season, the weather was a little chilly because of all of the rain they'd gotten that morning, and they both found some rest and comfort alone for a few hours. They both needed it after all, and Link drifted off holding Zelda to his side while wondering what their coming journey might bring them both. Before he fell asleep, he'd busied himself with twirling a strand of her hair around his finger, watching her sleep, and musing over the near future and all they were doing now.

Despite his desire for a more peaceful existence, Link was glad to be there. He was glad to help the royals of Althor, and he was also thankful that he was in a position to do so.

Risek, meanwhile, had to make sure everyone was up to date and knew what to expect because he felt that the more the people knew, the easier they'd be able to protect themselves. He explained to the villagers everything he'd learned in specific, and also gave them their own informed choice. After all, he'd been labeled a traitor to the crown and by all lawful rights, had no claim to the throne currently, so if they chose to continue to hail him as the Prince of Althor, they would face potentially bad consequences from those who now had control of the throne. He spent a good bit of time informing them of matters, letting them know what he was planning to do in a manner they could really understand, and in the end, no one left the encampment. They were supporting him and his father, not the ones trying to usurp him.

The event gave Risek confidence, and even more drive to see to it that this was all set right.

Finally, once the talks were over, he managed to get a little time to go wash up in a large brook that ran close by the encampment, one that flowed into the Sun River - which Port Sun was named after - and eventually flowed out and into the sea. It was a part of the same stream Gabriel had tracked the buck to that morning, but a larger section that ran much closer and south of the encampment. Risek needed the time to himself, and Aggie even suggested he take a fur and maybe catch a little nap by the stream because he knew it had been a trying night for him and the brook was a peaceful place to rest. Risek considered that might have been a good idea, a little time away from everyone else and to himself. But first thing was first - he wanted to get a bath.

Now that the sun had come out, the forest he'd walked into was nicely warm and inviting, well lit despite the trees lining each side of the stream, and Cloud Bugs - which looked like little blue and white puffs of smoke - drifted here and there across the landscape lazily. Risek approached an area where the water was slow flowing, a small felt bag in his hand and a rolled up fur under his arm along with a pillow Aggie had given him. In the felt bag were a few items he could use to wash up with, and once he got to the edge of the water where there was a somewhat open space of trees and a single small, smooth rock jutting up out of the ground like a nice place to sit, he began to settle his things down.

He unfolded the fur near the rock and then went to take off his boots and gloves, as well as the rest of his clothing. Once he was done, he climbed into the water to find that it was nicely warm and relaxing in the midday sun.

He considered while he bathed that despite spending some time to himself, he was going to find Mirian again as soon as he was done with his bath. He found it strange that where he'd normally been able to keep himself from thinking about her too much before any of this had happened, that morning he'd been ready to simply forgo talking to anyone in favor of finding her. He guessed it couldn't be helped now though. He'd admitted his feelings for the woman, and it was like getting a snowball going down a hill - it was just compounding what was already there.

Standing back up from ducking under the water briefly to rinse himself off, he began walking back to the shore while rubbing his eyes when he noticed someone standing there, and he looked up to see the same woman he'd just been thinking of moving into a crouched position near his things. Mirian had a bowl of a few fruits in her hands, and she settled them down on the fur, saying, "I thought you might like a little something to eat while you were out here."

Risek didn't even look at them, only dumbly nodded at her as she stood back up. Mirian was in a hurry after all. She hadn't expected to find him without his clothing on in the brook, though she guessed she really should have expected as much when Aggie had told her where he was. So she turned to go with the skirt of her light beige and white dress in hand to keep herself from tripping over it so she could leave him in peace.

But he'd called her name anyway to stop her, and she did halt her steps, then hesitantly looked back at him.

"Wait," he started, "I was just finishing."

Mirian asked in reply, "Shouldn't I go and come back when you're done then?"

Risek let a sigh of breath out, replying, "I'd rather you stay. You can turn around," he suggested, knowing she was completely embarrassed. For a brief moment, he thought it was a little humorous that he wasn't at all, but he could understand that she would have been. So he added, "I wanted to talk to you. It would only take a moment."

Mirian nodded, knowing he did, he'd just been occupied all morning long waylaying the villager's fears and such, so he hadn't had the time to really talk to her outside of their discuss of whether she was going with them or not. So she conceded with a nod of her head, and then turned her back, still a good seven feet away from where his fur was laying unraveled on the ground and heard the water sloshing as he climbed out of it behind her.

She could also heard the rustling of clothing not long after that, and she was actually tempted to sneak a look. Immediately, she chastised herself, wondering where in the world that sudden urge had come from. Was it even normal to be curious like that? Maybe, she supposed, but before she could will up any nerve to even think to attempt it, as well as while she was arguing with herself that he might see her looking, she heard Risek saying, "You can turn around now."

Mirian did just that to find him settled on the rock, wearing his black trousers, but no tunic. That was almost as embarrassing as his nudity was in a way, but only because Mirian knew she admired what she saw while he was busy getting his hair dried with a Lenin. He slicked it back across his head and looked over at her, and the sight was just appealing, which made it hard for her to continue to look at without feeling the need to turn her head after such a long time of training herself to do just that.

But Mirian also knew Risek well enough to know that he looked tired, could see it when he looked at her, and she commented on it, "I think you need some rest first before we talk, Risek. You've had a long night. I should probably go."

She went to turn around, but he stood up and moved over before she could get moving, taking her arm and saying plainly while he stopped her, "I won't be able to until I talk to you."

Mirian was having trouble looking at him, but she nodded her head, staying right where she was instead of leaving while retorting, "That's fine. Maybe you should put your tunic back on though?"

The words told him she was just embarrassed by his current state of undress. In one of those rare moments he had from time to time, he smiled and asked her in a teasing fashion that Mirian swore had rubbed off on him from her brother, "Why, you don't like the look of me?"

Mirian couldn't help herself from pursing her lips at him with a raised brow over her eye, then she waved a hand and said, "This is no time to channel Marcelle. Maybe I don't wish to be seen with you like this. It might start a scandal in the encampment."

The smile on his face actually turned into a rarely used humored grin, and his reply to her comment was, "No one's going to come out here."

"They might."

"They won't. Aggie told me he wouldn't let them."

"Then why did he let _me_?"

"Maybe he noticed I hadn't brought any food out here."

Mirian thought about that, supposing it was a good enough point, and she gave a nod, looking mostly downward instead of at him. He was grinning after all. He never grinned, and it was yet another handsome sight she had trouble keeping her gaze on. Risek noticed the movement as well, had realized even more so recently than before that Mirian seemed to have a habit of looking away from him all of the time, never met his eyes all that often, and he became curious about it.

Before Mirian could say anymore in their conversation, she felt his hand against her chin, and he lifted her face to look up at him. Her cheeks were flushed red as she did, and he asked her, "Why do you always look away from me?"

Her throat had gone dry, and she bit her lip in thought. "It's something I've trained myself to do, to never look at you because I didn't want anyone to know...how I felt."

She saw his brow narrow a bit, and she could only imagine that he didn't like that she'd done that. While yes, Mirian _was_ embarrassed, it was also a force of habit not to look at him, otherwise she wouldn't have had quite as much trouble. Before she could comment on it though, he said, "When this is all over, I want everyone to know, Mirian."

She wanted to suggest that might not be a good idea until they'd gotten further with all of this, but before she could comment, she was shocked when Risek leaned in without warning and kissed her the way he'd been dying to since she'd showed up at the Brook, making good on his promise finally. She jerked in reaction, breaking the kiss initially, unable to help herself from it, but he wasn't insistent, as if giving her a chance to settle with the situation. Risek stayed right where he was, waiting for her to respond, her blush bright red to match her unbound hair as he looked her face over and, in his opinion, it was lovely.

Mirian stared at him silently, her heart thundering in her ears which made conversation next to impossible, but she leaned back up to him slowly, and her eyes closed as their lips met a second time. She had to lean up, but he was ready to accommodate the height differences by leaning in and pulling her up a bit with his arms going around her sides, placing her on her tip toes. She felt like a shock of lightening had hit her, and she grasped her arms back around him tightly in return as they shared their first kiss, trying to use him to steady herself and weather the storm of emotions it had bombarding her.

The only things she could think in those moments were was this really happening? Was he really kissing her? It seemed more like she was having a dream instead. When his arms tightened around her after a moment, she couldn't tell the difference at all, but it felt too good for her to think it mattered. If she was dreaming, she didn't want to ever wake up, though she did let a little gasp when she felt his tongue against her lips, coaxing, and she finally parted them to deepen the kiss after just a moment.

If it was a dream, she _definitely_ didn't want to wake up. But maybe she was in the palace and one of the maids would come in to awaken her from oversleeping now. She waited and nothing ever happened. Mirian couldn't help but let a whimper into his mouth when she fully realized she was wide awake.

The grip Risek had on her had become tight, and he couldn't let himself be more gentle even if he'd wanted to. The longing he'd felt for her had just built up to exploding over all the time he'd never been able to express any of this affection to her, and he was having trouble distinguishing between a dream and reality then as well, but it was just too good to be a dream for him. His dreams had all been darker lately, so he knew this was all completely real. He held her as tightly as he could, almost because he felt like he had to, or she'd get away.

Slanting his mouth across hers slowly, he felt her going a bit limp against him, and he happily supported the weight, enjoyed the feel of her fingers against his back, the way she was trying to respond to him, and the sounds she made against his mouth. Though it was an intense kiss, it wasn't fast or too hard. They stayed locked right where they were for several long moments, unable to really get enough of that first moment of showing their long hidden love for one another, even when they finally broke away from it.

Their cheeks were together, arms still gripping one another tightly, and Risek didn't even realize just how tired he actually was until that moment. He felt like he'd just dropped a five ton weight of some kind and he knew it was because of her, because of the expression of emotion they'd just given one another, turning his head to press a kiss to her temple as if in silent thank you for it.

Mirian hadn't ever felt quite as complete as she did just then. She couldn't let go of him just as much as he knew he wouldn't be able to let go of her, finally breaking the silence by whispering his name and the words, "Risek, I love you."

She felt his arms tighten around her, almost crushing her, but she welcomed it. She didn't care if it almost felt as if she couldn't breathe just then. Tears started streaming down her cheeks, making her sniffle, and that was when he finally loosened his grip on her.

Risek had heard the sniffling, and he had to pull back and look at her, lifting his hands to her face to cup her cheeks and wipe away her tears with his thumbs before asking, "What's wrong, Mirian?"

The look of concern on his face touched her deeply, and it made her smile back at him. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

Gazing back and forth between her golden eyes, he asked, "You're happy then?"

She started nodding. "I am right now. But...," she took a breath and then added, "I still want you to get some rest. You're going to need it, you know."

He was quiet at first, as if considering what she'd said. While she waited for him to respond, he leaned in for a second, and shorter kiss before he requested, "Stay with me, Mirian."

Something about the way he'd said that had made her throat go dry, because he'd sounded like he'd needed her there, and it was incredibly flattering to her. She somehow managed to nod at him in response, unable to think of any other way she'd rather spend her afternoon, even if she wasn't specifically tired in that moment, than by resting on the shore of the brook with Risek.

She did just that. Both of them settled by the stream with the sun shining down over the trees, cuddled together, and Risek slept like he was just a newborn baby for most of the afternoon without waking once. Her presence was comforting, and he didn't think he'd slept so deeply and restfully in a long time now, even before his father had grown ill.

Mirian sometimes drifted in an out, but she was awake for most of it, just watching her Prince sleep, thinking about how the words 'her Prince' seemed to have some new meaning in a way, and she couldn't help but be a little amused by them. Still, she was hesitant to really let herself use them, because she was still uncertain as to where this might all lead. Who was she? She wasn't certain anymore, and she didn't want it to interfere with anything in the future.

But for now, for today, she let herself use those words as often as she wanted while they were together there and alone, threaded her fingers through Risek's as he slept, and for the first time since Marcelle had died, she felt truly happy again. Certainly the situation could have been better than it was, but on the banks of the brook where it felt like nothing could reach them, that moment was perfect, and she couldn't let Marcelle's loss or the King's situation ruin it because she was scared it might be the only one she ever got.

Thinking about her brother however, she began wondering briefly what Marcelle would say if he could see them this way now. The thought had a perpetual smile on her face. He'd probably play the role of protective brother, but then be happy for the both of them. She wished he was still there, wished he could help them out, and she rubbed her cheek into the blue tunic Risek was now redressed in, her head against his chest, trying to keep the sad thoughts at bay.

"Mirian?"

At the sound of his voice, she looked up to see that he'd woken up and was looking at her, a solemn expression on his face. Lifting her head a bit, she asked wordlessly, "Hmm?"

"Are you alright?" Risek had woken when he felt her moving a little, snuggling into him, and he threaded his fingers through her hair, combing it quietly.

"I'm fine," she nodded, "I was just thinking about Marcelle and wondering how he'd react to this."

A slow, lazy smile drifted across Risek's face while he considered that, his eyes closing as he continued resting his head against the pillow settled against the rock behind his head, and he said in languid response, "He'd probably punch me."

At the words, Mirian lifted her head up higher and stared at him. "Why?," she asked, sounding thoroughly and curiously confused.

"Because you're his sister," Risek pointed out, his voice no where near the usual stark tone it normal was when dealing with his everyday life. It sounded like it did when he was younger, up until a little time after he'd returned from sailing.

"I know, but he wouldn't _punch_ you."

His smile was warm and amused when he informed her, "You'd be surprised. He's punched me for less."

She heard, as well as felt in his chest, Risek chuckling after he'd mentioned that, and she continued staring at him in surprise. "When has he punched you!"

"Several times. You watched us fighting once, you know we threw punches a lot whenever we fought."

"When you were children, yes," Mirian nodded. "But recently?"

"I think the last time he punched me," Risek thought back, "was not long before Father became ill, and it was such an insignificant reason I don't even remember why he did it. Something about losing a bet maybe. I think I put his money on the wrong fighter."

Mirian knew her brother liked to attend events where competition and fighting was involved, and sometimes made bets, but to hear that he'd punched Risek for putting the bet on the wrong fighter had her shocked. "Was he sotted?"

"Not at all," Risek said, and started chuckling again, opening his eyes to see the look on her face. He seemed surprised that she was, asking her, "You _really_ didn't know?"

"No!," Mirian replied while shaking her head and trying to hide her smile in favor of keeping her perplexed look.

"Well, it's not like I haven't ever hit him either." Risek and Marcelle were typical men in that respect. They didn't just go around punching one another, no, but they had fought one another more than once. Risek remembered one of their first fights which had ended up in a puddle of mud, the seven and nine year olds they'd been then eventually stopped by Marcelle's father. Risek ended up with a busted lip and a skinned knee, and Marcelle had a bloody nose and a black eye, both of them looking rather pathetic as they were marched out of the mud.

It was all because Marcelle had been picking on Risek for being a Prince and saying that Prince's didn't know how to fight. They were kids, and those things happened. The four year old Mirian had watched them getting out of the mud to go rinse off and had shaken her head, calling them both 'dumb boys'.

"You two," Mirian suddenly said on a chiding tone which drug Risek back to the present from the memory he was considering, and she started shaking her head at him just then like she had when she was four. "I'll never understand that."

"I guess it's just how boys are," Risek shrugged, looking her over quietly. "He might not punch me for this, but he'd probably have something to say about it anyway."

Mirian could definitely agree with that. "I think he'd be happy though," she pointed out. "He used to tell me we were his two favorite people in the whole world."

It was Risek's turn to be surprised. "When did he say that?"

"One day when he got extremely sick. I think he ate something bad, but I had to get your help taking him to bed, remember? It was the day he almost fell over in the hallway outside of the King's Study because he was so weak, and I caught him when you were just walking out of the study." Risek nodded, indicating he remembered it, and she went on to add, "Well, when he was sick, after you left his chambers, he said he was glad to have us because we were his favorites."

Risek thought back to that memory, and as he considered it, he told her, "That's when I realized I loved you."

The words caught Mirian a little off guard, making her ask softly, "When was that? The day Marcelle was sick?"

"Yes," Risek nodded, turning his green eyes to her face.

She knew she was going to blush, but she forced herself to ignore it and asked him, "What made you realize it?"

"When I saw how you were taking care of him," he explained. "I remembered feeling envious of him for being privileged enough to have your care, and that thought made me realize when I considered why I was envious that I didn't just look at you like the little girl I'd grown up with anymore."

Mirian was quiet, watching him for a few moments after those words. Finally, she looked down and told him, "I don't think you've ever even been sick, have you?"

"A few times. I was always taken to the Shamans though, so you never saw me."

She nodded her head in understanding, as the Royals got the very best medical care so it made sense, and then told him softly, "Well, I would've cared for you if I'd been allowed to. If I can take care of Marcelle," she chuckled, "I can take care of anyone. He never was the best patient."

Risek smiled, knowing that all too well from injuries the man had sustained over his life. Marcelle had always been strong and stubborn as a mule, and refused help until he absolutely had to have it.

It was an extremely pleasant conversation to have on the shore of the stream beneath the early evening sun after he'd gotten a good nap in and now lay there comfortably with Mirian next to him, just over him, his arm around her side and back. Risek couldn't remember the last time he'd had such a languid conversation with someone, and he watched the waters flowing by for a moment before he said, "Link thinks we could find out more about what happened to him when we go to the mountains."

Mirian looked up again, having only just thought of that. As she considered it, she mentioned, "Maybe we'll find the compass. They brought back some other things of his when they searched for him after all." She watched Risek's face turn to a cringe when she mentioned the compass, and she narrowed her brows over it curiously, "What's wrong?"

"I completely forgot that I brought something back from Hyrule for you. It was a compass I won in the marketplace. It's not as good as the one you had, but it was a nice one. I thought to give it to you to replace the one you'd lost and it completely slipped my mind with everything going on. Now it's in my chambers at the palace."

He glanced down to see her staring away and smiling shyly, a hand covering her mouth. "You didn't have to do that," she said softly.

Apparently she was appreciative regardless of her humility, and Risek noticed something nearby, which he sat up slowly to reach for. Mirian had to sit up with him because of where she was settled, and she watched him tugging something from the ground and then reaching for her hair to push it back, settling a white flower in her hair above her ear. It was a simple gesture, but it was a sweet one.

Once it was done, he looked her over and said, "That will do until I can get that compass for you."

Mirian looked back up at him, still biting her lips, and she was wringing her skirt again in that nervous manner she had, so he took her hands and looked back at her face. Mirian took in a deep breath, then she moved all by herself this time, leaning up to kiss him without remorse or shame over it. It was Risek's turn to be surprised, and for once, that surprise showed on his face despite his years of practice in hiding most of his expressions, but it didn't last long. He just hadn't expected her to move like she had and take that kind of initiative in kissing him. Not that he didn't enjoy it.

He put his hand up and into her hair at the nape of her neck and returned that kiss slowly. Despite everything happening around them, this was the best day he could remember in a good, long time. The only thing that kept it from being perfect was the thought of his father in a deep sleep in the Palace, otherwise, it would have been spotless.

But when they left the Brook, they'd probably be leaving the encampment, so Risek took this moment like he had all of the others and enjoyed it while it lasted, made it last as long as possible. He brushed his lips over hers a second time when she tried to break it off, and just started their kiss all over again, until he felt her leaning against him completely. But it was only a few moments before Mirian oddly stiffened against him.

She broke the kiss off suddenly and looked around, saying, "I hear someone coming."

Seemed like her ears were going to be much more sensitive than his even if it might've been someone sneaking around quietly because Risek couldn't hear anything, at least, not until a few moments after she'd spoken those words. He heard a bit of rustling in some bushes across the way. So he pushed himself up and helped her up as well, then looked and saw Link rounding the corner before glancing over to see them both.

Link looked as if he hadn't expected to find them both there, and he said, "Oh, I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"No," both of them replied. Maybe Link was interrupting a little of something, but they weren't going to be rude and push him away. Besides, they both knew that they didn't have all of the time in the world to settle by the stream and soak up the sun and each other's company alone no matter how much they wanted to.

"Oh, good," Link nodded in response. "I was a little worried I might be, but I just wanted to let you know that Zelda and I are ready to get going whenever you are. Aggie helped up to make sure everything was ready, and he said you'd come out here to clean up and take a nap since it was quiet and secluded."

Risek nodded, "I did end up falling asleep for a while, so if you're ready, then I guess we all are." He looked at Mirian, asking, "Should we get started?"

With a short sigh of breath, Mirian nodded at him and then went to go stand up. Once she was on her feet, she turned to help Risek, but he'd already gotten up on his own as well. Link couldn't help but grin at them, but he hid it before they could see it and he said, "I'll be waiting back at the encampment for you with Zelda."

He turned around to walk off, smirking almost the whole way while heading back to the area he'd left Zelda in, finding her standing near the horses and rubbing the snout of their own stead. When she glanced back to see him coming, she smiled and asked, "Did you find them?"

"Yes," Link nodded, grinning about it apparently.

"What?," Zelda asked curiously when she saw the look on his face. She turned to face him, wanting to know a little more.

Link came to a stop near her and said, "I think they spent the whole afternoon napping next to the stream on a fur."

Zelda started smiling right along with him then, replying, "How romantic. It's been a while since we did something like that."

"I know. We'll have to do that first thing when we return to Hyrule, which I hope will be sooner rather than later, but," he let out a sigh of breath, "I have this sad feeling that it won't."

Zelda wished she could disagree, but sadly she couldn't. So she just didn't focus on it for now. Instead, she said on the most cheerful tone she could muster, "Well, until then, we'll just ride a horse to the mountains together, and pretend we're on a vacation."

Link seemed to take the joke to heart, as if honestly considering it. It made Zelda grin at him, and she patted his arm before going to check their bags one last time while Link commented, "That's actually a really good idea. I could look at it like that." Before he could muse over it further though, he heard someone calling his name.

Looking back, he noticed Gabriel heading over, and he smiled as the young royal came to a stop near him and said, "Hello Gabriel, if you're looking for Risek, he's on his way here now."

"Actually," Gabriel started, "I was wondering if I could look at your sword."

Link had figured Gabriel wanted his brother, but hearing this, he realized he was actually asking for Link's attention directly. "Oh, I see. I can show it to you, but you can't hold it."

"Why not?," Gabriel asked, honestly curious.

"It's heavy, I mean, magically so." Link tugged the weapon out and then turned it to stab into the ground between them. "Go ahead, try to pull it up."

There was a group of three other kids hanging out nearby that were all about Gabriel's age or maybe a little older, watching the spectacle, and Gabriel nodded and reached over to take the hilt. He tugged on it, and it wouldn't budge. Some of the other kids started snickering, and Gabriel looked back at them, pursing his lips before calling over, "You come and try. It's heavy!"

Risek and Mirian had come back to the encampment to see that Link had apparently preoccupied the children with trying to tug his weapon up from the ground - which neither of them could do. Mirian looked confused, and as they got there, Gabriel was giving it one last try with both hands while Risek asked, "Link, what are you doing?"

Looking back, Link spotted Risek looking the scene over. "Gabriel wanted to see it, so I'm letting him see it," he chuckled.

"Risek! Try to pull it up!" Gabriel sounded more awed than he did annoyed or frustrated, and he stepped back, waving his hand, "Go ahead!"

His older brother raised a single brow, but a few of the villagers about let out an encouraging cheer, having apparently found the spectacle to be amusing. If it kept their spirits up, then who was he to argue? "Alright," Risek replied, deciding to humor his brother and everyone else.

While this was going on, Mirian looked over at Zelda, her brows narrowed, and she asked, "Why can't they lift it from the ground?"

They were standing a good few feet behind Risek and Link, and Zelda explained to her why, but she suddenly gave Mirian a smile and told her, "I'll bet you could though." The suggestion made Mirian blink in confusion, and Zelda leaned in to explain what she'd meant.

Risek had just as much trouble as any of the kids had, and the people looked amuse, chuckling when even their Prince couldn't lift the heavy item. Once he'd given up, he stepped back and asked, "There, happy now, Gabriel?"

Gabriel grinned at him and nodded, when Mirian suddenly said, "Let me see if I can do it. It shouldn't be _that_ hard. It's just a sword."

Link and Risek both glanced over at her as she stepped in without question, and she reached down for the hilt of the sword. Clasping it in her hands, she wiggled it just a bit to loosen where it was in the soil with some of the people calling out a bit of encouragement, and then Mirian tugged it up and held it there in her hands. Everyone gasped and stared - especially Link.

But they gave their cheers, and Mirian looked at Link and Risek while she held it, and then shrugged, saying, "It's not _that_ heavy." She then went to stab it back into the ground once she'd finished saying that, and Gabriel, with a completely confounded expression, went over one more time, checking it out.

Once again, he still couldn't get it out of the ground, and he looked at Mirian, asking, "How did you do that!"

"I'm strong," Mirian replied with a smile as if it were just the truth, "plain and simple."

Gabriel pursed his lips at her as if he didn't completely believe her, and then turned to leave the sword alone, muttering, "I need to start training more," as if being shown up by a girl just wasn't his thing.

Link went to take his sword once this had happened, and he looked at it, and then over at Mirian who was looking through the pouches on Nairim to make sure everything was there. He even scratched his head for a moment before he then saw Zelda standing next to their own mount, and she looked innocently guilty of something. A sudden recognition dawned on his face when he saw it.

"Zelda," he said, sheathing the Master Sword onto his back again before he walked over to her and asked casually, "have you been casting any spells lately?"

"Me?," she asked sweetly, looking over at him with wide blue eyes. "Whatever are you talking about?"

"Sure," he replied and smirked at her, knowing fully well she'd cast an illusion. "Why'd you do that?"

Grinning, Zelda looked down as she turned to face him, then said softly, "The people were so expectant to see something, I just thought it might give them some amusement in their day after everything that's happened."

Link was smiling at her thoughtfulness, and he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips. Afterwards, he stood back and said, "That was a good idea. They could use it. But you're always full of good ideas anyway."

Zelda smiled, reaching up to smooth some of his hair back from his forehead. "Well, in that case, I think it's a good idea that we left now before too much longer passes so we can arrive at the Ruins of Alnaric with due haste, my love. Are you ready for that?"

Link scoffed playfully, "I'm ready for anything."

After he'd said those words, he heard coming from behind him, "You'd better be. I'm not going to forgive you if you end up getting hurt, kid."

With a grin, he turned and looked over at Nabooru and asked, "Did you just insult yourself? I mean you helped to train me after all."

Nabooru let a laugh out, and Gabriel, who'd just been saying his goodbye to Risek, looked over at Link and asked, "You were trained by girls!"

Link couldn't help but chuckle over how incredulous Gabriel looked, and Nabooru glanced down at him and lifted a brow, then smirked. "I like you. You remind me of another kid I once knew."

"Who's that?," Gabriel asked her.

The redhead lifted a hand and motioned to Link. When Gabriel looked over, he narrowed his brows and asked her, "How do I remind you of him?"

"He didn't think girls could fight either at first," she chuckled out, then turned to walk over to Link and leaned in to give him a hug in goodbye before standing back and telling both of the Hylians before her, "I'll keep the encampment safe and protect these people with my life. Don't worry about us. Besides," she grinned and reached into her pouch that was hanging off of her belt, fishing out the Myriad Stone she'd actually stolen from Link earlier when they'd been discussing their path of travel with Renard in the tent. Link caught it with narrowed brows while Nabooru explained, "Reinforcements are coming. I asked Myriad if she could sneak some help in."

"Who?," Link asked, puzzled.

"Oh come on, who do you know that's good at sneaking, Link?"

Zelda, naturally, figured it out a few seconds before Link did, and she smiled, saying, "Impa. She's coming here?"

Nabooru began nodding her head with a grin on her pretty face. "I told her to tell Arden to stay behind because there's no way they could sneak his large arse across the Hylian and Althorian borders."

Link suddenly began laughing when Nabooru said that, and the sound made Risek and Mirian both wonder what was so funny - after all, neither of them knew how big Arden was. But Link nodded his head, telling Nabooru, "Alright, I think these villagers will be protected like a Fort then, since you know a comment like that would only make Arden come with her."

"Why do you think I told her to say it?," Nabooru asked, grinning.

"Good point," he chuckled, then began to turn so she could mount his steed. As he did this, he added, "Give them our well wishes when they arrive. In the meantime, you know I won't forgive you if _you_ get hurt either though, right? So be safe. If you don't, you owe us a crate of Desert Wine."

Nabooru smirked and stepped back so they could both mount their steed, and she responded, "It's a deal. Princess, stay safe," she added, and gave a formal bow of respect to the Hylian Royal.

"Thank you, Nabooru. I'm certain that when we meet again, we'll be going back to Hyrule and things here will be settled."

Risek had just mounted Nairim behind Mirian when he heard that, and he looked over at Zelda, saying, "Let's hope we met her again soon then."

"Hear, hear," Nabooru replied, turning to give Risek and Mirian a bow as well, and then she went to stand with the rest of the Gerudo, who'd also shown the same respect while they were watching, as well as the Althorians gathered around to say goodbye to the four of them. Gabriel stood next to Aggie, and it was hard for Risek to see the look on his face as they began to turn their mounts and go, but he'd made a promise to Gabriel that everything would turn out fine, and he meant to keep it.

Mirian smiled at Gabriel reassuringly until their steed was turned and they were heading out and away from the encampment. As this happened, she turned her head to look out at the road before them, wondering exactly where it might lead them all.

Link turned his own mount with Risek after giving the Gerudo a wave, as well as his Uncle who'd waved back, feeling better in knowing that reinforcements were coming in secret while his lighter colored mount began to move in with Nairim. He looked ahead and almost felt like he and Zelda had taken a little trip back in time. The only thing different now was the threat, but it wasn't any less dangerous. He rode with confidence though, as Zelda did, knowing there was hope, and Althor definitely wasn't a lost cause. In fact, once they took care of this, they both had the feeling that the relations between their Kingdoms would then be stronger than any diplomatic function held in a Palace could have offered, so they were determined to see this through to the end.

The two horses carried their riders away from the encampment, going down the routes they had decided to take, and Zelda invoked the shadows around them to keep them safe as they went incase of entanglement, at least until they were in White Glade as Risek had suggested.

—

It took them a few hours to reach the edge of White Glade, and it was nighttime when they did so. Risek thought it would be best to ride nonstop until they'd gotten there, so there had been no conversation along the way until the forest was within view and they finally stopped riding as hard once they were under the canopy of trees it had to offer.

The Hylians could immediately see why the area was call White Glade as well. The leaves on the trees were all white and in the darkness, they seemed to absorb the moonlight and glow with it in an ethereal manner, so the forest wasn't completely dark, though dim might've been a better word to use. The grass had a lighter tone as well, more of a hay color there than green, making it all look incredibly enchanting, almost as if it'd been snowing, but it was getting to be late Spring where there was really no chance for that.

It was incredibly beautiful, and Link goaded his horse into a trot, following next to Risek's, while Zelda commented on their surroundings.

She sounded a little breathless, looking up at the canopy, "Oh my, this is a gorgeous place."

"It is," Mirian agreed from where she was settled across from the Hylians with Risek.

"I could see a wedding being held here easily," Link piped up, his mind having gone forward to the future with Zelda just a bit.

Zelda smiled and gave a nod of agreement, "So could I."

"This place has actually been used for several of those, specifically royal weddings," Risek informed him. "I have to agree, it's a fitting place. There's a large Cathedral built to the Eastern side of the forest where the ceremonies are performed. It's where my father was wed, and where I will be as well."

Zelda briefly wondered if that meant, had she not been attached to Link, this would have been her setting for a marriage, and she honestly had to say she wouldn't have minded it at all. If she lived in Althor, she'd want her wedding with Link to be here, but they already had their setting, and it was much more sentimental to them both.

But the thought of Risek's wedding had Mirian growing silent, and she couldn't help that. After all, would she be marrying Risek one day if things went well for them? Somehow it was nice to consider despite the stage they were currently at, but she decided not to just because she'd been thinking about something else for most of the ride so far, and she felt she was much closer to understanding the meaning behind it all.

The topic she'd been thinking over was her abilities, how she knew she had the talents to do things normal people couldn't, such as summoning Drakes, but she'd yet to figure out how. Something had to be there that would show her, perhaps something smaller she could work up the ability to summon, she just needed to figure out what it was. Focusing on her magic aside, she was so curious she almost couldn't stand it, and it nearly completely distracted her from their conversation besides that.

A stream came up ahead of them as they rode, one without a bridge, but it looked shallow enough to cross over on horseback regardless, and Risek drew the reigns of his mount to a stop while he suggested, "We should let the horses get some water and rest for just a moment before we go on."

"Good idea," Link agreed, drawing his own horse's reigns to a stop so he could dismount. "Zelda, do you need a break too? Mirian?"

Zelda nodded her head, taking what she could get when she could get it, and Mirian also replied in the positive. Zelda walked around the horse, heading off with Mirian as she told Link she'd be right back, and she and Mirian disappeared into the bushes for a short time. Link, leading his horse next to Risek's, looked over at the taller Althorian while his horse began to drink and asked him, "So, how was your nap this afternoon?"

Risek eyed him with a flat expression, then looked ahead into the water again while they waited on the ladies. He remained silent.

Link rolled his eyes, "Come on, Risek, how was it?"

The Prince lifted a brow, knowing what Link was asking about in specific, but he really didn't have the words to tell him. But finally he said, "I spent the first afternoon I've ever had alone with Mirian today. How did you feel when you had your first afternoon alone with Zelda?"

"Like a million rupees," Link replied with a grin on his face, guessing that was Risek's answer to the question. Link wanted to ask him more, but decided against it because it would be rude. Besides, Risek was a private person from the way things seemed, and Link wasn't going to intrude.

It was when he had that thought that Risek said, "I think that's an accurate description. I've kissed women before, but it was never..."

Link watched him going off in thought, then he smiled. "You don't have to explain, I understand completely. I just wanted to see how you two were doing."

Risek gave a nod of his head, saying in response, "I don't know the right words to use honestly. But I do know I wish I'd known of her feelings for me a while back. If I had, we might've even already been wed by now."

Link smiled. "I can understand, believe me. If I hadn't taken a fall when I was seven years old and lost my memories, Zelda and I would probably be married already as well. But at least we still have one another." After he'd said that, he looked over to see where the ladies might've been, but they hadn't come back yet. "Speaking of which, I wonder if the girls are alright."

"We would've heard something if not."

Risek was right about that, and the ladies were fine. Zelda was going to head back to their horses alone since she and Mirian had found separate places to take their breaks, when she stopped near some trees because she'd heard a bit of flapping, followed by a little screech not far away. It was a tiny sound, not like the Drakes from earlier, but she looked about to locate the source of it warily regardless. When she did, she spotted what looked like a miniature dragon nearby, big enough to perch on her shoulder like a bird if she let it. It was solid white, the scales shimmering, the webbing on its wings also white and a little transparent, and it landed on the low laying branch of a tree, peering about with glowing blue eyes.

It didn't have any arms, but only two long, muscular legs and a tail that was whipping about behind it, and Zelda, still hidden behind the trees, watched it silently, wondering if she'd be able to slip away without the tiny dragon seeing her or not. After all, she got the sense that what this creature saw, their enemies knew, and just when she was about to step away, she heard another screech coming from the same direction.

Quickly, she saw that a second of the tiny dragons had entered the area, but this one wasn't white. Instead, it glistened a red color with golden talons and glowing eyes, and it had swooped down in a surprise attack on the white one. It happened so suddenly that Zelda would have missed it if she'd blinked, but the red dragon knocked the white one off of the branch and down to the forest floor. Swiftly, it snapped its jaws at the white one and clamped them around its throat, followed by tearing out a portion of it's neck to kill it.

The white couldn't even let out a sound because of the place where it'd been bitten, and hadn't been able to react at all because it had been so completely caught off guard. The red stood over it victoriously as the corpse stilled, and then it turned around and lifted from the ground after spreading its wings, letting a shriek and heading over to Mirian, who'd just stepped into the area quietly and lifted a hand for the animal. It perched there while she smiled and patted its head affectionately.

Zelda stepped out hesitantly, looking about for more of the potential dragons she'd just seen, and asked, "Mirian?"

Mirian looked up at her, and then smiled while walking over to her. "Zelda, I summoned it. He's a wyvern."

The tiny wyvern looked over at Zelda and leaned in, sniffing at her, while Zelda reached up a curious hand to pat its head. It actually chirped at her and, despite the cute sound it'd made, it looked majestic up close for such a tiny beast. The scale glistened in a pristine fashion, its golden eyes glowed beautifully, and it's horns down its back were all black un color. Folding it's wings down, turning around to climb up Mirian's arm and onto her shoulder, Zelda asked, "How did you manage to summon it?"

"Well, your lesson this morning helped," she started. "When I saw the white wyvern in the woods a few minutes ago, I started remembering what you said about knowing something was a part of you when you summoned it, and I started focusing. I knew that white one was sent to scout, that what it sees, Arrik probably knows, and I had I figure out a way to get rid of it before it saw us. It was hard, and I don't think I could do it again right now, but I managed to summon him up when I tried with a lot of focus. It was almost like a part of me buried deep down just knew how to do it."

The Wyvern let a little screech of air out, having curled its tail around Mirian's neck as if protective of her, and she couldn't help but smile over it. Zelda also smiled, giving a nod of her head before she said, "I'm glad you did this. Perhaps you're predisposed to the ability of summoning being a Dragonmaster, and perhaps the dragon scale you have is helping you to understand things better without your even knowing it."

Mirian wondered if that could be the case, but she didn't have the time to reply when she heard someone coming up, and glanced over to see Link.

Link looked a little concerned, asking, "Are you two alright?," before he spotted the Wyvern on Mirian's shoulder and looked a little surprised. "Uh, Mirian? What's that?"

Smiling, Mirian took Zelda's hand and said to him as she began to walk, "Come on, let's go back to the horses, there's scouts in this forest. I'll tell you everything there."

With a nod of his head, Link turned around to go with them, wondering on the way what kinds of scouts she'd meant, but he knew he'd find out whenever they got back to the horses, so for now, he simply didn't argue. Instead, he went back to the stream so they could get a move on.


	58. The Long Road

_Chapter 59 – The Long Road_

The group continued riding once Zelda and Mirian returned to them, and Risek was surprised to see that it was with a friend - Mirian's wyvern. She'd explained to Link and Risek exactly what was going on. The white wyverns could spot them at any moment honestly, and they were small, so spotting them would be difficult without being seen themselves. She felt that hers would help to keep an eye out for them because it could probably hear even better than she could—not to mention it could fly overhead as well and see more of the area—and what it saw, Mirian knew.

When the wyvern took to the air, Mirian could close her eyes and see through his, and she found the sensations to be a little strange somehow, but at the same time, invigorating. She also realized as they rode that the creature somehow helped her to focus and even relax. For those moments, she felt powerful and connected to nature, and those feelings humbled her.

Alternately, she also had the thought that it was this kind of power that Arrik was abusing, and she started to hate him even more, saying that was possible. The wyvern she'd summoned was just as alive as any other creature of the forest, or at least, that was how she felt about it, and it didn't deserve to be treated as some kind of slave or tool as Mirian could only guess Arrik treated his own creations. Maybe he didn't, but it seemed to her that he at least viewed them as less than alive if he was so willing to sacrifice them so easily.

Something deep in her soul told her that the gifts she had to summon these kinds of magical animals wasn't just because she was supposed to be powerful or use them to her advantage, and she swore she would never do it for that reason. In fact, she was working on a name for her wyvern that very moment. She'd give it as much life of its own as possible, no matter how many she summoned in the future.

It was sometime during the middle of the night that they came to the western edge of Lake Endigan, most of their travels through White Glade having been fairly uneventful, just the way they'd wanted it as it kept them on good time. When they came to the edge of the lake, they could see under the light of the moon the high cliffs rising up to the sky, the same cliffs Renard had pointed out on the map he'd given them.

Coming to a stop, Risek told Link that very thing.

Link gave a nod in response to the information, asking, "Which way do we go to get around the lake? Left or right?"

Risek waved toward the left with his hand and said, "It shouldn't take us long. We'll need lanterns and the map ready."

"I've got them," Link replied, turning his steed to the left so he could get started. They were still under the cover of the white leaved trees at that moment, the soft glow they gave off making it easier to see, so for now, the lanterns definitely weren't needed.

Mirian was focusing on her wyvern at the time, who'd come flying back to her and landed on her shoulder, and that was when she opened her eyes. Looking up and back at Risek, she said, "I don't see anything around, so I think we should be fine on the way there."

As Risek had goaded his steed off into a trot, he gave her a nod in response. As they moved on, Link looked over at Mirian and mentioned with a smirk on his face, "We could've used you in Hyrule a few months ago."

Zelda smiled over the notion as she'd just thought the same thing. But they'd managed to survive the dealings in Hyrule, and that was what mattered.

As they made their way around the lake, which took another half an hour, they found the base of the cliffs coming in closer and closer. It was nearly impossible to see the rock walls at all once the beauty of the trees began to clear away because of the dark night overhead, but the shadows of those cliffs blocking out half of the moon from their view allowed them to see precisely just how far up they rose—and it was extremely high.

Finally the size of the mountain range they were traveling into was coming into perspective the closer they all drew near it. It was in those moments that the four of them realized just how long finding their way up and through the caverns was probably going to take as well, but it was better to get started now rather than later. Link checked the map during a brief stop, and he told Risek to follow him, going through a few twists and bends of the ravines at the base of the cliffs until he found his way to where the map was pointing out that the entrance was supposed to be.

They'd already lit their lanterns, Zelda using her magic while Mirian's wyvern had shot a small line of fire from its mouth and into the one she was holding. The lights they carried illuminated the surrounding, rocky chasms which they had to traverse through just enough to see. Everything was quiet, nothing moving at all, and the further into the chasm they moved, the closer they got to their point of entry according to their map, until the entrance to the cavern door that they were looking for showed up.

Renard's map had proven accurate, but the entry way had long since been covered by a rock slide.

Risek sighed in agitation when he saw that their path was blocked. In response to the sight, he ended up muttering out, "Well, this seems like a perfectly wasted trip now."

But he'd noticed Link dismounting while Zelda held onto the lantern for him and stayed atop their mount. As Link walked over to the rockslide, he told Risek, "Maybe not. Just wait and we'll see."

Risek lifted a brow, but Zelda didn't seem to be at all confused about what Link might've been planning to do. So he did as Link had suggested and didn't make any comments while waiting for the verdict of whether or not their trip was a wasted effort.

Link cleared some of the rocks out of the way to get to the biggest boulder blocking the entrance, and he looked down at the gauntlets he always wore—the same he'd attained in the Temple of Fire. They'd be a big help now. With the thought in mind, he knelt and began to run his fingers along the bottom of the boulder while his companions watched and waited, two of them looking confused where Zelda only looked curious of the outcome. It took him several minutes, but he finally found a good spot to grip the bottom of the boulder by, and then went to lift it.

It was extremely heavy—even for the gauntlets he wore. Link knew that if there was a limit to what the tools could lift, then he was lifting it now. He grunted and tugged, pulling up as hard as he could, and Risek was about to ask to know what in the name of Din he was doing until suddenly the rocks began to crumble away and the boulder started lifting into the air. The sound made Risek close his mouth and watch with a good bit of surprised intrigue on his face.

When Link finally got the boulder up, he turned a little slowly, putting a good bit of effort into his movements as he threw it to the side with a loud yell of force, watching it land about fifteen feet away from them in the chasm, smashing against the ground with a heavy thud. As soon as its weight was gone, Link stumbled and leaned forward with his hands against his thighs just above his knees, panting in his breath. To say it hadn't been easy to do would've been stating the obvious.

Just then, he heard Zelda asking, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he breathed out on a completely improper note. "Just need to...catch my breath. That boulder...was the gauntlet's limit...I'm pretty sure."

"The gauntlets?," Risek asked, and Mirian was also looking over the scene curiously.

"His gauntlets give him magical strength when it comes to lifting heavy objects. It was Hyrule's Temple of Fire that thanked him with them for setting the Sage Essence free when we both visited there," Zelda explained.

Risek looked from her and at Link as he'd finally stood back up from catching his breath, and went to the entrance of the cave he'd just unblocked for them all. Looking inside, able to see nothing through the pitch black veil beyond the position where he stood, he called back to them, "It's dark inside, I can't see anything. I should probably take a lantern and go in first to make sure there's no danger."

"No, wait," Mirian said, and looked at her wyvern.

The tiny dragon lifted its head and looked up, then stood on her shoulders. Letting a little screech before it spread its wings, the small dragon took off, flying on ahead of them and inside of the caverns to check everything out and make sure the path was clear.

As he went, Mirian said, "Let him take a look around. He can see."

Link stood to the side while the wyvern took off and passed him in midair, continually forgetting they had such a handy little friend now. As the wyvern went, Mirian began to see what the tiny dragon was showing her after a moment, the inside of the cavern which was nothing but rock walls, corridors decorated with rocky stalactites, and rising walkways that definitely held the promise of leading up to the top of the cliff sides above them all. The entryway cavern was huge, with a single path leading through the back, and Mirian couldn't see anything threatening as she focused on the images.

After a moment, she opened her eyes and let out a soft whistle to call the wyvern back to her.

Risek was still surprised that Mirian had figured out how to summon the creature. As she'd explained it, she'd spent a while just focusing on the ride to White Glade as Zelda had instructed her, using the time to try to clear her thoughts while hoping maybe something would come to her. Though it hadn't on the ride there, she'd realized something not long afterward when she saw the white wyvern sent by Arrik to try to find them. She just felt it, knew how to do it, and couldn't explain it beyond that.

As Zelda had explained it, the ability was probably preternatural to her in some manner, an ability she could perform as anyone could blink their eyes. A person didn't really know how to do it, they just did it and didn't stop to think about it when they did. Granted, the insight of knowing such a thing _could_ be done had to be in place, but now that she'd done it, she felt as if it were completely normal.

As the wyvern came back, and Link returned to his horse in hearing that all was clear, Mirian said, "It's strange, I can even sense smell through the wyvern."

"Smell?," Link asked.

Mirian was nodding her head as the red wyvern perched on her shoulder again, and she patted it's head, then informed them as their horses were goaded to traveling into the cavern, "Yes, and I'm trying to think of a name for him. Does anyone have any suggestions?"

Risek considered that before saying to her, "I'm not sure," while goading his horse along into the cavern behind Link's, looking the wyvern over in thought. "Maybe you should name it after your brother."

"Name it Marcelle?," she asked, and then smiled. "I don't know, it seems a little strange to call it that somehow."

Risek had to admit that she had a good point with that. It might be odd to call the wyvern Marcelle when he'd only passed so recently. Link was trying to think of names too as they got inside of the cavern, the lanterns illuminating the same things Mirian had seen in her head a few moments beforehand, the smell she'd mentioned being a bit dank in a manner of speaking. The horse's hooves clopped along the stone floors of the rather large entrance, a single corridor leading to a path that went up, and it was a fairly wide path.

The horses didn't seem to be too wary of the area either, so that was a good sign that all was well. Zelda had tugged the map out to look it over and try to keep track of where they were so they wouldn't get lost because, according to Renard's map, there _were_ a few dead ends to be had and various winding caverns where they could get lost, so it was important to make sure they got through them safely and didn't spend a lot of time just trying to get to the surface again.

As they went, Link asked, "What was your father's name?"

"Duvall," Mirian answered, then she lifted a brow over an eye and pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Hmm, Duvall seems fitting." She glanced to the wyvern and asked, "Do you like Duvall?"

The wyvern turned its head as if indifferent to the name and began to lift its leg to scratch it's neck much like a cat would do. Seeing this, Zelda smiled and commented, "I don't think he cares, he seems content with you one way or the other."

Mirian grinned, then looked ahead and up through the slanted corridor they were traveling through, seeing a more level terrain ahead of them which their horses climbed up onto. Every now and again, they could hear dripping water, the only sounds to be had besides the horse's clopping hooves and their voices, which began to echo in the new chamber they'd just entered.

"There should be another corridor leading up that way," Zelda said, letting Link look at the map to see what she'd meant as she pointed to the left.

Link gave a nod and he held the lantern up to try to see in that direction, but it wasn't bright enough, so he just started to goad the horse in that direction. After all, Renard's maps had been accurate thus far, so it stood to reason they'd continue to be.

Duvall hopped off of Mirian's shoulder and began to head out in front of them after only a shorts way in, and Mirian said as she watched it going, "I'm starting to become even more angry at Arrik than I already was as time passes."

The words caught everyone's attention, but specifically Risek's, who asked, "Why is that?"

"Because I get the feeling he just believes the Drakes and Wyverns to be tools to use at his disposal, that he doesn't see them as anything more than a means to an end, instead of treating them as actual living things like they really are. He's taken his power of summoning and creating such things for granted, and it shouldn't be that way."

They could easily see this, and Link was the one to respond to it by suggesting, "Anyone who regards a person's life the way he does, in that it's expendable if they don't meet some kind of standard, typically doesn't have any respect for life in any form. Maybe his predecessors who were originally chosen to be Dragonmasters were worthy, but I get the feeling that if they were here, or could see how corrupt their line has become, they might weep."

"I completely agree," Mirian nodded. She briefly wondered how they would be able to stop the group of knights altogether as well, but pushed the musings out of her head. After all, that was a fight for another day, and right now, they had to get through the caverns first.

In the meantime, she wasn't getting anything from Duvall that was requiring her to warn anyone about any danger, and they all continued on through the caverns without much of any hitches, only periodically stopped to check the maps. Eventually came to a large cavern where the walls twinkled like stars with what miners would probably want to find when unearthing precious gems, but the four moving through the chamber didn't stop to try to see what could be taken, uninterested in such materialistic things even though they did appreciate the beauty it had to offer.

Still, with as dark as the caverns were, even with their lanterns, it was a tedious endeavor to make it through the smaller passages, some of which seemed unstable, and after a while of dealing with such things they'd all comes to have their own fears of what _could_ happen. Link was hoping the floor wasn't going to crumble and cause them to get separated, Zelda and Mirian didn't like how dark it was with bats overhead which they were trying not to spook into a swarm that would scare the horses—Mirian in specific feeling a little stifled being in such closed in spaces here and there—and Risek was just having a bad feeling because everything seemed _too_ quiet somehow, as if that meant something _was_ going to jump out at them for certain.

But finally, they wound up rounding a bend in a tunnel where a light began to shine on them, and according to their map, the cavern was growing more dimly lit than before because of the rising sun outside coming in through the exit they'd finally found—a literal light at the end of their tunnel. It lead to a ledge that went right up to the top of the cliff side they'd seen from the ground below when they'd first began to enter the caves, and for once, Link considered to himself, travel hadn't been riddled with headaches and hardships aside from simply stepping lightly—imagine that.

Link's expression grew bland the moment he'd had the thought. It wasn't that he was pining for a fight of some type, but it almost seemed like an incredibly bad omen. How much longer would things remain this quiet?

Either way, the four of them were glad to see light again, the night having drug on for what seemed like far too long due to the grueling trek through the caverns. But their prize was completely worth it in riding up the ledge to the top of the cliff side.

The scenery only grew more and more beautiful the higher they rose, the rocky path taking them around the edge until they were standing below the morning sun at the very top of that particular peak overlooking Endigan Lake and the rest of Althor in the distance southerly. To the northeast, there was nothing but mountains stretching as far as the eye could see, graced with the morning light washing it in golden hues.

It was gorgeous, and neither Mirian nor Risek themselves had ever seen it, not from that vantage point anyway, awe struck by it all. The cliff was monstrous in size, and their horses stopped near the edges while their riders simply rested there for a few moments just to take it all in. In addition to being a beautiful scene, it put into perspective exactly what they were fighting for, and they could even see the Palace in the very far distance due to the glowing light of the magical barrier surrounding it that Arrik had previously erected.

Link remembered getting a similar view of Hyrule from the ledges of Death Mountain when he and Zelda had gone to the Temple of Fire, and thinking the same thing then that he was thinking now. Whether their quiet time while traveling a bad omen or not, he wasn't going to stop until everything was settled. He swore it.

"It's breathtaking," Zelda said, breaking the silence between them all finally and interrupting Link's thoughts.

"It makes me wonder if we can really find anything in the mountains that might be enough to save it all," Mirian added softly in response.

Link looked away from the horizon and to the mountains behind them that they were about to be heading toward, the peaks white with snow in places, and he told them all, "We will. We didn't come all this way for nothing."

Risek looked over at Link and then at the mountains with him, taking the sight in for himself. Finally, he spoke in agreement, "And we should getting started in finding it. The Ruins are still a ways off. The pass over the mountains and through the valleys will probably be treacherous, so we'll need time on our side, especially if Arrik and his Drakes happen to figure out where we are and come to attack. Not to mention that there won't be any passes for travelers to take near the Ruins of the Old Kingdom whatsoever, or at least, none that will be in good condition, so that will make it even more difficult."

Link had just put the map of the caverns away and then gave Risek a nod. "Let's get moving then."

Tugging on his reigns, he turned the steed from the edge of the cliff, and Risek followed suit, traveling with him in turn. The mountain passes Risek had spoken of were all trails that were both hilly and led through valleys and to bridges, which were set up for what few small communities were settled on the mountainsides—mostly mining communities if anything, groups of people who came up seasonally for ore and other materials, whether commissioned by the crown or by individual businesses in Althor.

They rode over them at a moderate gallop to try to catch up on any time they'd lost in the caverns, and it wasn't long before they came across signs of life. Their horses had taken to a gravel road that led down into a valley where, in the distance along the tree lined path stood a pond of clear of water, and next to the pond was a cottage with a watermill attached to it. Drawing in closer, they spotted a woman settled outside in her yard, washing some clothing in a wooden bucket before hanging it up on a line to dry.

Link and Risek both slowed to a trot when they saw this, but mostly because the woman had looked up and started heading to the gravel roadway when she'd spotted them, drying her hands on a blue apron she wore tied over a plain white dress. She had a head of black hair tied into a bun at the back of her head, and was middle aged. In addition, some livestock which included goats, a cow, and a few chickens were running loose here and there about the home, making for a quaint mountainside home image that didn't' seem at all out of place.

Zelda looked back at Link when she saw the fowl running loose to see if he looked the way she thought he might. When she noticed his expression, she looked ahead again before she smirked largely where he couldn't see it because he definitely looked sour over the sight of the chickens.

Mirian opened a satchel on Nairim's saddle as they approached the area in the meantime, and Duvall climbed into it. She didn't want the lady to see the wyvern and possibly be startled by it. Duvall didn't seem to be one bit put out because of it either, crawling inside without any fuss and curling up until he was comfortable.

The woman seemed surprised that there were two horses carrying four riders passing through the area altogether, but as they drew closer, she addressed them in a friendly fashion.

"Good day, are you travelers lost perhaps?"

Risek shook his head in response to the question, saying, "No, we're not lost actually, thank you."

"I see," the lady nodded. "Mountaineers maybe? You don't really look it though. It's not very common I see riders such as you passing through, but I guess it's not my place to ask your business," she mused aloud, apparently not recognizing Risek at all, but if this was where she lived, then it stood to reason that she wouldn't.

Before anything more could be said however, she informed them, "In any case, I couldn't let you go that way without giving you all a warning."

"What's that?," Zelda asked her curiously.

"Well, there's been some strange things going on up that way as of late. I'm not sure what it is, but sometimes I swear I hear what sounds like a roar echoing down the hills." She gave them all a peculiar look as if she couldn't figure it out, then shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe it's just been some rock slides, but either way, you should be careful if that's the way you're going. I thought to let you know beforehand."

Link and Risek exchanged a look that told them they were both wondering if perhaps the Drakes had been about lately. So Link looked back at the lady and asked her, "When was the last time you heard that kind of sound?"

"Oh, a day ago now was the last time, but it's been on and off for quite a few days before that," she replied. Then she waved a hand toward her cottage and asked, "Can I get you any water before you go up? You might need some if you're taking the mountain pass. It's a long way before you'll find more again that's accessible, and your horses might need it as well."

Link looked at Risek and gave a nod of his head, "Sounds like a good idea if there's not much more up ahead."

Risek agreed, and then looked down at the woman, "Thank you, we're appreciative."

He went to dismount his horse, and following this, he helped Mirian down. Link had done the same, thinking it would be nice to stretch his legs anyway, and they led their mounts over to drink from the pond as the lady had so kindly offered to allow them. In the meantime, Mirian had grabbed their canteens without a second thought and went to go refill them via a pump settled closer to the cottage where the lady pointed her to when she asked.

Zelda went to give her a helping hand when she realized what Mirian was up to, and she took the refilled canteens after Mirian finished with them so that she could retie them to their horse's saddles again. When Mirian took the last canteen to begin filling it, the lady that lived in the cottage made a comment she couldn't ignore. It came out of nowhere seemingly, but the result nearly got Mirian to drop her canteen completely.

"You know, the last time I had a visitor come through here, a royal knight, he had the same red colored hair as yours. Even those same eyes. That's kind of funny."

Mirian had to try to grab the canteen before it all spilled, and when the dark haired woman noticed how she'd reacted to the line, she narrowed her brows and asked, "Are you alright, milady?"

Finally, with the canteen in hand again, Mirian stood up straight and pushed a strand of hair out of her face quickly, trying to orientate herself when Zelda had come walking back over from the horses. The Hylian Princess noticed how stunned Mirian looked, and she waited for the chambermaid to give some kind of response to the woman to see what would be said.

"Yes, I'm fine, but," Mirian shook her head as she thought about what it was she wanted to say. "That man, did he give you a name?"

"I don't rightly remember, it's been roundabout a month or so now," she replied. "I'll have to try to think of it. Why, think you might know him?"

"It's possible. Why did he come here?"

The woman hung more clothing up and casually replied, "Same as most travelers do. He was on foot, and I didn't ask his business. He didn't stay here long either. That's probably why I can't remember the name off the top of my head."

Mirian couldn't believe she was hearing this now. She had a blank expression on her face while the woman, too busy with her chores to see it, only went on to ask, "Who do you think he is?"

But Mirian didn't respond. She'd already turned and hurried back over to the horses—where Link was standing and staring dubiously at a chicken who'd been pecking at the ground, getting closer and closer to his boots. Risek was on the opposing side of Nairim from him, and Mirian hurried around the large, black steed without paying any attention to Link because she wanted Risek to hear this.

Without pause, she announced to the prince as she approached him, "I think Marcelle passed through here."

The comment got Risek's attention completely, and he looked over as Mirian came to a stop and explained what the woman had just told her. When she was done, Risek looked over at the woman tending her laundry with a good deal of curiosity on his face, glad that Mirian had said something. The story was the first Risek had heard of the man since he'd gone to the mountains to look for signs of trespassing, and he couldn't pass up the opportunity to know more.

He had to ask her for himself, and he turned and requested of Link to hold Nairim's reigns so that he could speak with her, then walked around his mount to go do just that. Mirian followed along with him, needing to hear what might be said for herself.

Link looked up from the chicken, taking the reigns of the horses without any qualm as Risek moved on, having heard everything Mirian had just said despite his distraction with the fowl. He didn't try to follow and listen in though. After all, Risek would tell him whatever was said when they were done, and in the meantime, he looked back down at the chicken who was staring up at him now.

Link quirked a brow, then told it, "Don't even think about it. I know that look."

The chicken bobbed its head.

Pursing his lips, Link asked it, "Don't you have some family to get back to?"

Still, the bird didn't move, and snickering sounded. Link looked over to see Zelda standing not too far away, covering her mouth and trying to hide her amusement. When she looked up and saw the look on Link's face, she lowered her hand and said, "I think it likes you."

Link grumbled and then turned around to walk the horses back toward the gravel road when they were done getting refreshed at the pond, only saying, "That's a lie, they don't like anyone."

Zelda couldn't help but grin brightly.

Meanwhile, Risek had stopped not too far from where the lady was washing her clothing, and he said, "Pardon me, my lady?"

The woman came to a stop and stood up straight, drying her hands on her apron again as she gave him her attention. That was when he asked, "What can you tell me of this knight you said came through here?"

"Well," the woman thought back, "he wanted to know if I had any maps he could use. My husband and sons have been gone for two months now to the mines though, and they have all of the maps, so I couldn't help him. Come to think of it, he also mentioned that he was the captain of the knights."

"Marcelle," Risek said when she told him what the man's rank was, and as soon as he mentioned it, the woman snapped her fingers.

"That's it!," she smiled. "Marcelle. Do you know him?"

"Yes, we do," Risek replied, looking over to see that Mirian was completely focused on the conversation, and though she seemed composed, he could still see the shock in her eyes. It was a look he could relate to, and being eager to find out more, he told the lady, "Anything you can tell us about what happened when he passed through would be helpful."

"Oh? Did something happen to him?"

"Yes, but we're unsure what," Risek replied. "This is the first I've heard of him since he came to the mountains."

"Oh dear," the woman sighed out as if she hated the thought that the man who'd come to her for help might've been hurt somehow. "Now I wish I could've given him a map. But when he came through, he was in a hurry, acted spooked, like he'd seen something he didn't like."

That didn't settle well, but Risek asked anyway, "Did he say what is was, or anything at all?"

"He only mentioned that he needed to keep moving," she replied. "So I gave him some food to take with him. The only other thing he told me was to be wary of anyone traveling the passes that wore suits of silvery white armor because they were dangerous, so they needed to be avoided. I thought he might've been delusional from having no food or water maybe because I've never seen such a thing and I've lived on the mountains all of my life."

Risek almost wished Marcelle had been delusional, but he knew why his friend hadn't stayed here if the knights were seeking him out. Apparently, more had gone on than just Marcelle being killed in a cut and dry sense, and it sounded like he'd evaded them for a time before he'd succumbed to them.

His thoughts were interrupted when then lady suggested, "He traveled off in the same direction you're going though. Maybe you'll find out more if you head that way."

"I see," Risek replied, looking toward the direction they were going to be traveling past the cottage in down the gravel pathway while considering that she might be right. Was this what Ovana meant by answers?

For the moment, Risek didn't consider it and only glanced back at the lady to say in earnest, "Thank you, my lady. I didn't catch your name, by the way."

"Veletta," she replied politely, "and you are?"

Risek decided to lie to keep the woman safe. After all, if anyone came through asking about him, it could endanger her. So he told her a name he'd used both in his youth and during his days traveling on The Siren to protect his true identity from those who might wish to try to harm him or his father.

"Mase, and I'm also grateful for the information." In warning, he added, "Also, it might be wise to be wary. I'm not entirely certain, but there could be unwelcome visitors passing through here sometime soon. For that, I think it's best if we also leave as soon as possible."

Veletta looked a little unsettled, and she waved a hand idly as she asked, "Was there some truth to that story about the travelers in the armor then?"

"Yes, to be honest, there is. I'd rather not bring harm to someone as helpful as you've been, so I suggest keeping your guard up until your family returns. In fact, if you know of anywhere to go that you could be with others that might offer protection, I'd suggest you do so."

Veletta let out a sigh of breath, then admitted, "I don't know why they would bother me, but I could probably travel to Ordaine. It's not too far from here and I have plenty of friends staying there."

Ordaine, Risek and Mirian both knew, was a very small community in the mountains that wasn't located too far from a riverside port where shipments came and went. "Do that, and thank you," Risek replied, glad she'd heeded his warning. Then he gave her a polite bow of his head, telling her, "Be safe, my lady."

He would have to keep her in mind in the future. After all, he may have just put her in danger and she'd been very helpful, so he would have to look her up when everything was over and offer something that would show his gratitude. She bid him a goodbye however, and Risek turned with Mirian to walk back over to the horses who'd been properly watered, now standing on the road, and took the reigns from Link who'd already mounted his own with Zelda.

When Risek had the reigns of his own mount back and was saddling up, he explained everything that had been said. When he was done with the story, he added, "She said Marcelle went in the same direction we are about to go."

Link took it all in, looking over as he said casually, "So, it sounds like Ovana was right about getting answers by coming here. I just wonder what we might come across further down the road."

"Only one way to find out," Risek replied.

Without further comment, they began to travel once again, taking the path up an incline toward the top of the valley through several trees, the terrain a bit rocky in places, though not difficult for the horses to make their way through with the path laid out for them.

Risek thought over what Veletta had said about Marcelle while he kept the reigns in hand, and also the possibility of Marcelle actually being alive and only missing instead of dead. Though it was highly unlikely, there was a very small chance of that. Perhaps he'd been disabled somehow and found some place in the mountains to hide away. Still, Risek couldn't think of any way that such a thing would or could be true. Where in the world could the man hide that would keep him so sequestered that even the knights couldn't find him and had to go after Mirian instead?

It was much more likely that Marcelle was in fact dead, but Risek hoped, saying he'd escaped the white knights for a while as Veletta's story had suggested, that perhaps he'd managed to take one or two down before he'd died.

While he was thinking this, they reached the top of the incline to a more level terrain that had a trail leading through an open field of high grass that was mostly devoid of trees. Link took a look around with Zelda, and then over at his companions when Duvall had flown off and away from the horses again, doing a routine scouting. They began trotting along down the pathway while considering everything they'd learned so far, and Link suddenly had a thought over something about Veletta's story in particular, just as Risek was considering it.

He knew the knights wanted Mirian because of the dragon scale, and that apparently, if Mirian was a dragon master, Marcelle had been too since it ran in families. That was probably why they'd chased him down in the mountains here, but something was amiss.

Without pause, he mentioned it to Risek, saying, "You know, Risek, if the knights wanted Mirian and Marcelle for the red dragon scale, then why did they kill him?"

Seeing that Link's mind had been going over the same thing Risek's had, the prince shook his head and admitted, "I don't know, unless he forced their hand. But how only _one_ royal knight could do that I have no idea. Marcelle is skilled, but I would think he'd been surrounded as we were on the fields of Hyrule."

"Exactly," Link pointed out. "It makes no sense for them to kill him without getting what they wanted first at least."

Something about that line made Link suddenly consider the thought of 'what if Marcelle had become a white knight'. Would that have even been possible, considering he was the dragonmaster of a red dragon? Then again, had he done that, he likely would have given them the red dragon scale much sooner than they'd managed to get their hands on it.

But his thoughts over it were interrupted when Mirian gasped out her breath. The sound got everyone's attention away from what they'd been discussing and onto her completely as her eyes came open quickly.

Urgently, she directed, "Risek, go that way," and pointed ahead and to the right slightly.

"What's wrong?," he asked, though he began to goad his horse off in that direction.

Link followed suit, and as they went, Mirian simply told them that she'd seen something in particular through Duvall's eyes. After several moments, they saw the wyvern flying back to them, and he was carrying something in his talons which he dropped into Mirian's hands once he'd reached them before he landed on her shoulders.

Looking into her palms, Mirian felt her eyes getting somewhat misty as she whispered out the words, "I don't believe it."

"What is it?" Zelda asked as their mount trotted up beside of Risek's.

With a soft sigh of breath exhaled, Risek told Link and Zelda, "It's Mirian's compass. Marcelle must have dropped it, perhaps when running from the knights." He let his eyes wander to the side of Mirian's face with a bit of concern on his own, asking her, "Are you alright?"

"Yes," she nodded, wiping her eyes before any tears could fall. "Actually, I'm more eager now than ever to move on and find out more about what happened to him."

Risek could definitely understand why, and so could Link and Zelda. He looked up from the item and ahead in the direction the wyvern had come from, and just as he'd been considering their path, Link told him, "I think we should go that way."

"I agree," Zelda added, looking over at their companions. "It's almost as if we're being led somehow."

Mirian put the compass into her pocket and looked over at them, giving her own agreement in the form of a quiet nod of her head. As she'd mentioned, she wanted to see what else they might find, and continuing on the path would be the only way to see. Whether they found Marcelle himself, or just another token of his, she felt as if they were finally starting to get somewhere.

Also, Mirian was starting to believe more and more that once they found out what had happened to Marcelle, they would find out something very important that they needed to know that could solve this entire mess.

Without pause, they'd all continued onward, traveling for a good ways in the same direction to see what they could find. Eventually, they did come across something, but not along the lines of any specific items like Mirian's compass which told them more of Marcelle's path through the mountains. Instead, it was a drop off that led a long ways down into a gorge where a river was flowing through the rocky walls, and there was a wooden bridge tied with a rope to connect the two sides.

It was fairly long, and somewhat narrow, though wide enough to allow passage for them and their horses. As Risek looked the structure over, he spoke, "This is the Endigan River. We'll have to cross the ravine to reach the ruins, so we need to continue in this direction anyway."

"Hmm," Link drew out in response, then mused aloud, "I wonder if that bridge is strong enough to support the horses. There's no telling how old it is."

"I _looks_ sturdy enough," Zelda spoke up. "But perhaps, to be safe, one group should cross at a time."

"Good idea, it's hard to say which bridge might have had the most recent maintenance done to it, and we might not find another for a few miles," Risek said, then turned to dismount his horse, leaving Mirian saddled on Nairim's back for the time being as he went to go check it out.

Link also dismounted in the meantime, watching as Risek looked over the foundations of the bridge, and after a moment, the prince looked back at them and gave a nod of his head.

"It's well secured, but one at a time would be best to be on the safe side. I'll go across first."

Link gave Risek a look that said he wasn't sure he liked the sound of that as Risek headed back to his horse and reached up to help Mirian down. Once she was settled in the grass, and while she was letting Duvall fly on ahead of them again, Risek said in response to the look that Link was giving him, "It's my turn to go first, so don't argue."

Pursing his lips, Link looked back and up at Zelda with a side of breath. She simply smiled down at him from the back of their steed and asked, "Tired of royal privilege?"

"This isn't royal privilege, Zelda, it's just Risek being stubborn," Link replied. He then looked over to see Risek shaking his head as he moved onward without question, calling out to him teasingly, "Just don't look down!"

Risek couldn't help but smirk over the way Link had said that, then glanced over at Mirian to ask, "You're not afraid of heights, are you?"

"No," she shook her head. "Not at all. Why, are you?"

After she'd asked that question, she looked up at him curiously as he said, "No, not one bit." He then heard a loud creak in the wood and felt the foundation swaying a bit in the breeze whipping up around them from beneath, adding, "The swaying is a different story however."

He heard Mirian letting out a soft chuckle of sound over the statement, but said nothing further for the moment. They both knew they bridge was likely safe to cross, but the wooden planks could have been rotted in some places, so if one of them broke beneath the horse's weight, which they did hear a slight bit of screeching as if the planks were warping a bit, it would be easier to have only one horse on the structure rather than two. After all, Nairim was agreeable to crossing, but Link's mount might've become harder to handle and that would become problematic.

While they neared the center of the bridge, Link had helped Zelda down off of the horse and then gave her a mischievous look.

"What?," she asked when she spied the expression on his face.

With a soft snicker, he said, "You could teleport us across, you know? They wouldn't expect to see us already over there when they arrive."

In response, Zelda smiled, looking over at Mirian and Risek with his horse following behind him as she shook her head in response. "Honestly, Link, stop being so silly. Playing pranks will only waste magic right now. I need to conserve my strength for emergencies, you know."

"You made everyone think Mirian lifted the master sword in the encampment," he reminded her.

"Well, that was a boost of morale for the villagers, Link," Zelda returned, glancing back at him before adding, "this will only amuse _you_."

She saw the grin on his face that said he was already amused, and for a moment, Zelda thought he might try to playfully steal a kiss from her. But before any of that could happen, a sound came from the same area where their friends were located on the bridge, and they both looked over to see what was going on.

Once Miran and Risek had reached the center of the bridge and just past it, Duvall started to let out a loud, offensive screech, flying up toward them from below. Mirian gasped suddenly and came to a stop when, turning and grasping the rope to look down as she exclaimed the words, "Oh no!"

Risek looked over and took the rope next to her, glancing downward at the river far blow them, and he saw what she'd been speaking of just as she told him, "It's a drake heading this way."

Narrowing his brows at the sight of the creature flying low through the ravine in the distance, Risek took Mirian's hand so that they could try to get out of there when another, louder roar sounded from the distance, and Duvall had swooped upwards and onto Mirian's shoulder, screeching and hissing toward their opposing side as they looked back to see the large, white drake flying upwards past the bridge so swiftly that the structure began to sway in the turbulence caused by the gusts of wind it generated.

Seeing this from the cliff overlooking the ravine, Link moved toward the edge with Zelda as the drake flew toward the sky again. Sneering up at it, Link wasted no time in reacting. It would come back and probably try to take out the bridge, and he couldn't just stand there and do nothing. Because it was too distant for his hookshot, he pulled his bow off of his chest and notched an arrow, hoping that in the meantime, Risek and Mirian could run to the other side.

Risek grabbed the rope with one hand and pulled Mirian in with the other, crouching down until the bridge began to settle again after the drake's first pass. The event had been performed so swiftly that Nairim had been startled and began to run across the bridge without them, passing by closely without trampling either of the two in the process because they'd been standing to the side to try to steady themselves—which was a thankful turn of fate. Risek felt the reigns coming free of his hand, but he didn't try to stop the horse at all. After all, he needed it to get to the other side as without his horse, their travel would be sorely slowed down.

Once the bridge had settled enough to allow the two of them to sprint, Risek didn't waste his time looking back, but took Mirian and began to move across it with her in order to try to get out of the way when they heard another loud roar coming from above them. Though they didn't know the reason for it, Link had just pierced two arrows into the side of the beast's neck from where he stood on the edge of the cliff.

He notched another, taking aim once again before sending it the arrow sailing toward their enemy, where it stabbed into the beast's hind flanks. Sadly though, none of them did the magical creature enough damage to stop it from making a second pass.

Risek looked up and back when he heard the sound just in time to see it coming. The drake had flown over the bridge and in passing it, slammed its tail down into the structure, hitting it right in the middle without mercy. The foundation of the bridge ruptured completely, wood flying everywhere, plummeting down into the river below them.

So Risek did the only thing he _could_ do—drop down and grab hold of the wooden planks with Mirian as he felt gravity beginning to pull them both in.

"Hold onto the bridge, Mirian!," he yelled as they began to fall toward the rock wall while holding onto the bridge as tightly as possible, seeing her doing just that, their speed picking up the farther they fell toward the rock wall.

Risek worked the end of his boot between two more of the planks as they went, feeling his body weight pressing down on his foot while heading through the air at an angle, bracing himself for impact. Creaking and shifting was heard, the snapping of ropes popping around them, and at an unforgiving pace, they careened toward the wall before hitting it with a good amount of force that jarred Risek and Mirian harshly.

Risek managed to hold on with one of his hands however, the fact that he had a foot wedge between the planks helped to steady him. But the force of the blow caused Mirian to lose the grip she had altogether, and she let a yell as she was knocked backwards. She reached to try to grab hold of whatever she could purchase, and just before she could fall too far, she felt herself stopping as her wrist was grabbed.

With a startled yelp, she looked up to see Risek holding onto her with one arm.

"Grab the bridge, Mirian!"

Risek knew he wouldn't be able to hold onto her for long with the grasp he had on her currently, and he watched her trying to reach over to grab the planks for herself. As the tips of her fingers reached one, and she tightened her grip on it, letting out a grunt to try to lift herself, the beam suddenly snapped, and she fell back again just as Risek had tried to get her other hand to the planks and loosened his grip.

This time, the sudden action got her grasp in Risek's hand to slip free completely.

"_Mirian_!"

From where they stood on the other side of the ravine, Link and Zelda watched the two hanging on, and they both saw Mirian falling, helpless to do anything in time to reach her.

Mirian began to let out a yell of Risek's name as she lost her grip while Risek continued to reach for her, only to watch her plummeting downwards toward the river as his heart nearly exploded in his chest, everything going in slow motion somehow. But as he watched, the story changed when the large, white drake flew overhead of her, blocking her from his vision as it intercepted the falling woman and grasped her in a large talon securely, stopping her descent into the river below.

Seeing this, watching the drake with Mirian in it's claws, Link looked back at Zelda and said, "Teleport over there with the horse and help Risek get to the top."

Zelda knew she should do that, but she asked, "What about you?"

The drake was turning in the air as Link watched it, the creature still flying down low through the ravine as if it were going to try to take Mirian back to the palace, now heading toward where they were standing and giving him a chance to stop it. Without much time, Link only said the words, "I've got an idea," in explanation before he turned and went running down the edge of the cliff without question, pulling his hookshot out of the hammer bag attached his belt on the way—just in case.

The movement made Zelda gasp and call his name, but Link didn't stop, coming up and along side of the drake flying through the ravine swiftly before he jumped from the edge of the cliff completely and went falling downwards toward it.

Zelda let out a sigh of breath in frustration after he did so, holding onto the reigns of the horse as she muttered out, "I love you Link, but you're going to kill me doing these kinds of things."

Despite her worry, and without pause, she closed her eyes, her form starting to glow, using her magic to do as he'd suggested and teleport to the other side of the ravine so that she could try to help Risek get to the top. After only a brief moment, she disappeared with the horse in a shimmer of light.

Risek had watched all of this happening, completely focused as Link had timed a jump off of the cliff to coincide with the flight of the drake traveling beneath him. The Hylian fell downwards and managed to land right onto it's back, though he stumbled backward and wound up grabbing on closer to its hind quarters than the front side, hanging on as tightly as possible.

Risek knew he was going to try to stop it from taking Mirian back to the palace as they could only guess was the beast's intent, so for the moment, he had to focus on getting up the ladder and preparing himself for any possibility.

That was when he heard a voice above him saying, "Come on, Risek, climb up!"

Looking up to see Zelda above him now, knowing she must have teleported when the bridge was taken out, he did like she'd suggested and began to climb up the bridge, being very careful as to not break anymore of the beams as Mirian's weight had done to one of them. He had to look them over before he took them, but he managed to reach the top finally and took Zelda's hand to help himself up.

Once on the surface again with Zelda, they both looked over toward the sky when the drake let a loud roar and passed by overhead, moving through the air swiftly. The sound was almost ear piercing, and made both Risek and Zelda cringe. Apparently, it was completely unhappy to have someone on its back, but neither of them could tell what Link was doing exactly before the thing got out of range again and dived back down into the ravine.

Without pause, they pushed themselves up from the grass and followed it to the edge of the cliff, watching whatever might happen from there—and what they saw shocked them both.

It was hard to tell precisely what had happened due to the increasing distance as the beast went, but they could clearly see its wings folding before it wound up falling and crashing into the river below with Link and Mirian, being washed into the current. The sight of it made both Risek and Zelda's hearts seem to stop.

"Link!"

"Mirian!"

The names came from the two royals simultaneously, watching their companions being helplessly swept away from them. While Zelda had faith that Link could have survived—she'd seen him going through much worse certainly—she wasn't so sure about Mirian, though if Link was in good shape, he'd do whatever he could to save her if she were in trouble. Still, Zelda looked around to try to find something in particular that might help her to figure out the outcome of the landing in general.

When she spotted the object she was looking for, she said, "I think Mirian's alright at least."

Risek was confused by those words, looking over at Zelda as he asked, "How do you know?"

Zelda motioned to Duvall, who was settled on the grass nearby and looking up at them by cocking his head to the side rather cutely despite what had just happened. Glancing back up at Risek, Zelda explained, "If she were dead, Duvall wouldn't be here. They're one in the same. She can see what he sees, so she probably wants him to stay with us until she can find her way back, or he can lead us to her."

Taking in a deep breath, Risek realized Zelda was right, but he was still concerned for Link as well. Looking over at Zelda to see that she'd turned to gaze back down at the waters for the moment, he said, "We'll find them both, Zelda."

"I know," she nodded, "and I'm worried, but Link's been through worse than this. We'll just gave to get moving as soon as possible. After all, Arrik probably knows we're here now."

"Very true," Risek muttered out over the notion, then looked back at their horses who were both grazing the grass as if nothing were wrong. "We need to get started," he added, and then walked over to Duvall, trying to see if perhaps he could get the creature to lead them.

Duvall looked up at him when he approached and lowered his hand, letting a little chirp before he hopped up into Risek's palm as if completely unafraid. Lifting the wyvern as he stood, Risek mentioned, "Mirian told us she can even smell what the drake does. So she can probably hear us as well."

He looked at Zelda, who nodded in response, and then back at the small dragon now staring up at him with glowing golden eyes. Uncertainly, Risek asked, "Mirian, is there any way you can get Duvall to lead us to—," and he stopped when the wyvern spread its wings without warning and took off through the air at a distance before stopping about ten feet away and turning to face them, hovering in midair and flapping its wings while waiting.

When it let a little shriek out as if to get them moving, Risek found a small smile, deciding Mirian had to have heard him. "Let's go," he told Zelda.

Smiling over Duvall's reaction to Risek's question, she went to her steed and mounted it along with Risek, who reached his own and did the same thing. Regardless of searching for Link and Mirian, they had to move away from the area as soon as possible anyway otherwise the knights might show up and cause even more trouble. So without pause, they began to follow the tiny beast, who started flying through the air without hesitation when they did.

Hopefully, they'd find Link and Mirian both in good shape, and soon.


End file.
